Where does my last name come from?

Question

My teacher told me all last names come from peoples traits in different languages like Flores is flowers in Spanish and like colors Brown, Green, Black ..... Well My last name is DUFFY!!! where does it come from? what does it mean?????

Answer 1

The Man from Atlantis and Bobby Ewing from Dallas namely Patrick Duffy.  It's Irish origin surely?

Answer 2

It might have been shortened when your parents immegrated here.

Answer 3

That sounds norwegian or swedish... One of the European countries.

Actually, it might be welsh, the UK.

Check it out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duffy_%28su...

Answer 4

Zzz

Answer 5

It's European

Answer 6

Could come from an English armada navy rank, of Duff Admiral, which they had a handful of, maybe 300 in their history, and that was the lowest of the highest in the navy.

Answer 7

hmm  sounds very English to me....but then I do not know

Answer 8

Sounds english

y not ask ur dad?

Answer 9

http://www.surnamedb.com/

This is a great site for surnames.  Yours is there (I checked).

Answer 10

It's Irish, therefore you probably need to look to the gaelic languages to work out what root word it is derived from and thence the meaning.

Answer 11

i'd say irish it sounds very irish to me :)

Answer 12

Its comes from ireland

Answer 13

Irish Surnames - Meanings & Origins of Common Last Names of Ireland

Duffy Ó Dubhthaigh comes from an Irish name meaning black or swarthy.

Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Dubhthaigh ‘descendant of Dubhthach’, a byname derived from dubh ‘black’ (see Duff). This name was borne by a 6th-century saint who was archbishop of Armagh.

Scottish and Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Dhuibhshíthe ‘son of Duibhshíth’, a personal name composed of the elements dubh ‘black’ (see Duff) + síth ‘peace’.

Answer 14

I know a guy called Duffy - it's clearly Irish!

Here: "Irish: Derived from dubh ‘black’. This name was borne by a 6th-century saint who was archbishop of Armagh."

Go to Wiki for loads more info! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duffy_(surn...

Answer 15

Duffy Duck?

From Looney Tunes?

Answer 16

Irish: Derived from dubh ‘black’. This name was borne by a 6th-century saint who was archbishop of Armagh.

Answer 17

America, BEER!

Answer 18

It means dark faced.... thats weird

Answer 19

The simpsons

Answer 20

UK answer.

Surname: Duffy

This interesting name, with variant forms, Duffie, MacDuffie, McFee, McPhee, D'Duffie and O'Duhig, is an Anglicization of the ancient Gaelic personal name "Mac Dhubhshith" a compound of elements, "mac" meaning "son of" plus "dubh", "black" and "sith", peace, hence "son of the black one of peace". The name was borne by a 6th Century saint who was also Archbishop of Armagh. The name is one of the oldest, most interesting, and widespread in Scotland, while also prevalent in all provinces of Ireland except in Munster, where the variant is known as Duhig. Johannes Macdufthi appears as a charter witness in Dumfridshire, in the reign of Alexander 11 of Scotland (circa 1180). Church Recordings include one John, son of John Duffy, who was christened on May 30th 1570, at St. Giles' Cripplegate, London, and James Duffy married Jane Armonette on December 17th 1684, in London. James Duffy, a famine emigrant, embarked from Londonderry to New York on board the "Mary-Harrington", on June 2nd 1846. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Macdoffy, who rendered homage, which was dated 1296, in the "Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland, during the reign of King John Balliol of Scotland, 1292 - 1296. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Hope this helps.

Answer 21

idk but my moms bfs last name is duffy. haha its fun to say. mines boring. smith. lol

Answer 22

it's not american at all - it's irish!

Irish: Derived from dubh ‘black’. This name was borne by a 6th-century saint who was archbishop of Armagh.

Answer 23

Its an Irish name meaning "black or swarthy".Their original homeland was Monaghan, where their surname is still the most common; they are also from Donegal and Roscommon.