Dunfey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Dunfey

What does the name Dunfey mean?

There are a multitude of ancient meanings and variations associated with the Irish surnames that are now common throughout the modern world. The original Gaelic form of the name Dunfey is Ó Donnchaidh, which means descendant of Donnchadh, a personal name Anglicized as Donogh.

Early Origins of the Dunfey family

The surname Dunfey was first found in County Kerry (Irish:Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Dunfey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunfey research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1014 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Dunfey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunfey Spelling Variations

One explanation for the many variations is that scribes and church officials frequently spelled the name as it sounded: an imprecise method at best. Understandably then, various spellings of the surname Dunfey were found in the many archives researched. These included Dunphy, Dunfy, O'Dunphy, O'Donoghue and others.

Early Notables of the Dunfey family

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

Migration of the Dunfey family

A great wave of Irish migration occurred during the 19th century as a direct result of English colonial rule and tight-fisted absentee landlords. Many of these Irish immigrants boarded passenger ships bound for North America. Those who migrated early enough were given land in either British North America or the United States; those who came in the late 19th century were typically employed in industrial centers as laborers. At whatever age they undertook the dangerous passage to North America, those Irish immigrants were essential to the speedy development of the two infant nations to which they arrived, whether they broke and settled land, helped build canals, bridges, and railroads, or produced products for consumer consumption. An examination of immigration and passenger lists has uncovered a large number of immigrants bearing the name Dunfey or one of its variants: Edward Dunphy in 1772; joined several previous family members who had already settled in Pennsylvania. Other Dunphys were to later join him in Pennsylvania..

Contemporary Notables of the name Dunfey (post 1700) +

William L. Dunfey, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1952; Candidate for New Hampshire State Senate 21st District, 1956 1
Stephen Dunfey, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1980 2
Richard Dunfey, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Hampshire, 1980 2

The Dunfey Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Generosa virtus nihil timet
Motto Translation: Generous valour fears nothing

Sources +

The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html