Show ContentsCaffree History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

There are multitude of rich histories underlying the many Irish surnames in use today. The name Caffree originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Gafraidh. Gafraidh or Gothraidh equates with the English personal name Godfrey. Variations that start with the prefix Mac or Mc mean son of Godfrey.

Early Origins of the Caffree family

The surname Caffree was first found in County Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster, where they held a family seat at Ballymacaffrey near Five mile Town in Fermanagh near the Tyrone border. 1

Early History of the Caffree family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caffree research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1987 is included under the topic Early Caffree History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caffree Spelling Variations

Many different spelling variations of the surname Caffree were found in the archives researched. These included Scribes and church officials generally spelled a name as it sounded; as a result, a person's name could be spelt innumerable ways in his lifetime. MacCaffery, MacCaffrey, MacCafferty, MacAffery, MacAffry, MacAfferty, MacGoffrey, MacGodfrey and many more.

Early Notables of the Caffree family

More information is included under the topic Early Caffree Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Caffree migration to Australia +

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

Caffree Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo


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