Surname Guffey - Meaning and Origin

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Guffey: What does the surname Guffey mean?

The last name Guffey is an Americanized version of the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Gobhthaigh. It was first found in County Sligo, Ireland, where a sept of the Ó Hara clan having held a family seat for centuries.

Guffey is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó Gobhthaigh, which means "descendant of Gobthach". Gobthach, meaning “smith” or “fighters”, was a popular name in Ireland during the Middle Ages.

The Ó Gobhthaigh family first established itself in County Sligo, where records indicate that the sept of the Ó Hara clan held a family seat for centuries. Further south, the Guffeys would take on the Norman customs of the area, becoming associated with the local names of Gorman and Kavanagh.

Today, Guffeys are mostly found in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, although there are still pockets of Irish Guffeys scattered throughout Ireland.

The Guffey name is still proud in its Irish origins, the family tracing its descent back to the Ó Gobhthaigh sept and Iriash noble ancestry.

Guffey: Where does the name Guffey come from?

The last name Guffey is most commonly found in the United States today. It is most commonly found in the Southern states, especially Tennessee and Kentucky. The name Guffey is of English origin and is thought to have been first used by a family who emigrated from England to America in the 1700s.

The name is common among families who have lived in the South for generations, and is still seen in the census records for many states in the region. According to the US Census, as of 2018 there were approximately 17,309 individuals with the last name Guffey living in the United States, with many of these living in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. In addition, the states of North Carolina, Georgia, West Virginia, and Arkansas also have a large concentration of individuals with the last name Guffey.

The name Guffey can also be found in Canada, with the highest concentration being in Ontario. In addition, there are also smaller numbers of individuals with the name Guffey living in the United Kingdom and Australia. As the name is still relatively common in the United States, it is likely that the name will continue to be seen in modern records for many years to come.

Variations of the surname Guffey

Variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Guffey are Guffy, Guff, Guffie, Gaffey, Gaff, Gaffie, Goffey, Goff, Goffie, Gofey, Goff, Goffie, Gaffie, Gaffi.

The Guffey surname is of Irish origin, originating from either a Gaelic sept "MacGoafaidh" (Goff), which was found in County Antrim, or from the Irish "MacGabhach" (Gaff) sept, formerly located in County Donegal. Often times, these two septs were referred to interchangeably as either Goff or Gaff.

The name can also be an English topographical surname which refers to someone who lived in or near a cleft or rift in a hill. It is derived from the Old English words "gof," which meant "a cleft or a rift" and "ei" which meant "an island."

In Scotland, the Guffey surname was likely derived from the Gough family. The Gough families were a sept of the Clan Leslie in Aberdeenshire. The surname is also found in England and can be traced to locations in counties Dorset and Devon.

In the U.S., the Guffey surname originated in Pennsylvania and is found mainly in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Other spellings of the name are also found in Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas. Gaffey is the most common spelling of the surname in the United States.

In Ireland, the variants are Gaff, Goff, and Gof. Gaff is the most common variant, and is found mainly in County Wexford. Goff and Gof are less common and are mainly found in County Kerry.

Famous people with the name Guffey

• Breckin Meyer: actor, writer, producer, and drummer
• Cledus T. Judd: stand-up comedian and musician
• Dave Guffey: former Major League Baseball player, coach, and manager
• Dale Guffey: horse trainer
• David Guffey: theoretical physicist and astrophysicist
• David Guffey: professor of communication studies
• Jessica Guffey: actress
• John Guffey: American football player
• Julia Guffey: actress
• Michael Guffey: stuntman and stunt coordinator
• Robert Guffey: professor of chemical engineering
• Steven Guffey: film producer
• Tyler Guffey: American rapper and record producer
• Darren Guffey: British martial artist
• William Guffey: British Army Major General

Other surnames

Guffee