Duffty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Duffty comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a person who was considered brave and strong. The surname Duffty originally derived from the Old English word doughty or dohti which meant valiant, hardy, manly. 1

Most sources agree that this is the generally accepted origin of the name. However, one source claims the name to be Norman in origin as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae notes William de Oughtia, Normandy 1180, 1198. 2

Early Origins of the Duffty family

The surname Duffty was first found in Yorkshire where early spellings of the name varied greatly.

By example, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Johanna Doughti; Johannes Doughty, taylour; and Adam Doughty. In the East Riding of Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls for Howdenshire included Robertus Dughty and Johannes Dughti. 3

While most of the records of the name come from Yorkshire, we must look to Bedfordshire for the first record. For it is here that William Douti held lands as listed in the Assize Rolls in 1247. Later, William Doughty was listed in Leicestershire in 1300 and John Dughti was listed as a Freeman of York in 1314. 4

Early History of the Duffty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duffty research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1365, 1533, 1545, 1577, 1578, 1598, 1599, 1613, 1620, 1655, 1672 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Duffty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duffty Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Duffty has undergone many spelling variations, including Doughty, Doughtie, Dowtie, Dowty and others.

Early Notables of the Duffty family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Doughty (1545-1578), an English nobleman, soldier, scholar and personal secretary of Christopher Hatton. His association with Francis Drake, on a 1577 voyage to interfere with Spanish treasure fleets, ended in a shipboard trial for treason and witchcraft and Doughty's execution.John Doughtie...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Duffty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duffty migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Duffty Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Philip Duffty, English Convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5

Duffty migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Duffty Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Duffty, (b. 1830), aged 31, English farm labourer, born in Glouchestershire travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 6
Miss Elizabeth Duffty, (b. 1860), aged 2, English settler, born in Glochestershire travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 6

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html