| ![Show Contents]() Claffy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of ClaffyWhat does the name Claffy mean? The origins of the name Claffy are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the baptismal name for the son of John. The given name John was originally derived from the Dutch Hans or Han. 1 Alternatively, the name coule be "a nickname or sign-name [Old English hand, a hand]." 2 And another source notes it is an "ancient personal name. Hand and Hande are, however, surnames without prefix in Hundredorum Rolls. Mr. Ferguson says: "Walking through Handsworth in Staffordshire, and seeing the name of Hand upon the shops, I said to myself, ' Handsworth is the north or estate of a man called Hand, and these may be descendants of that man.'" 3 Early Origins of the Claffy familyThe surname Claffy was first found in Cheshire where the name first appeared as a forename in the Assize Rolls of 1288, Honde Cottrell. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1279 included Richard Hand in Bedfordshire and later Robert Hind was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Walter Handes was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. 4 In Yorkshire, The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls had a wide variety of entries: Hanse et uxor ejus; Matilda Han-wyfe; Thomas Hand; and Laurence Hande. 1 Early History of the Claffy familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Claffy research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1521, 1588, 1594 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Claffy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Claffy Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Claffy family name include Hand, Hands and others. Early Notables of the Claffy familyMore information is included under the topic Early Claffy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Claffy family to IrelandSome of the Claffy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Claffy 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: Claffy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Darby Claffy, aged 25, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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