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Irish surname

Coffey: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Cobhthaigh; also Ó Cathbhuadhaigh, Ó Cathbhadha, Ó Cathmhogha · Ó Cobhthaigh: 'descendant of Cobhthach' (victorious)

Woulfe (1923) lists Coffey under Ó Cobhthaigh, 'descendant of Cobhthach' (victorious), the name of several distinct families: in West Cork, Galway, Mayo, Westmeath (a celebrated bardic family) and Derry. He also lists Coffey under three other Irish names. In 1890, Ireland's birth indexes held 98 entries for Coffey and its spelling varieties (90 spelled Coffey), chiefly in Kerry, Tipperary, Dublin, Cork and Roscommon.

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Coat of arms associated with the Coffey surname
Irish formÓ Cobhthaigh; also Ó Cathbhuadhaigh, Ó Cathbhadha, Ó Cathmhogha
MeaningÓ Cobhthaigh: 'descendant of Cobhthach' (victorious)
CountiesKerry, Tipperary, Cork, Galway
Other spellings5

Origin of the Coffey name

Woulfe's Ó Cobhthaigh families: (1) Corca Laoighdhe, West Cork, seated in Barryroe barony at Dunocowhey; (2) Ui Maine, barony of Clonmacnowen, Co. Galway; (3) lords of Umhall, Co. Mayo; (4) Westmeath, a celebrated bardic family; (5) Derry, 'which produced many worthy ecclesiastics'. Also Ó Cathbhuadhaigh (Kerry), Ó Cathbhadha (Tipperary), Ó Cathmhogha (Galway).[1][2][3][4]

  1. 1173Murray O'Coffey, Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, died.[7]
  2. 1415The Clasach O'Coffey, 'eminent for poetry and humanity', died.[8]
  3. 1546Teige O'Coffey, preceptor in poetry, held eighteen weeks by the English; escaped.[9]
  4. 1554Teige son of Hugh O'Coffey, 'Chief Precentor of Ireland and Scotland in poetry', died.[10]
  5. 1745Charles Coffey, dramatic author, died 13 May; buried at St. Clement Dames, London.[11]
  6. 189098 entries incl. varieties (90 as Coffey); chiefly Kerry, Tipperary, Dublin, Cork, Roscommon.[5][12]

Where in Ireland

Co. KerryÓ Cathbhuadhaigh, anglicised Coffey, 'very common in Kerry'; first county named in 1890.[2][5]
Co. TipperaryÓ Cathbhadha 'a Tipperary surname'; a principal Coffey county in 1890.[3][5]
Co. CorkÓ Cobhthaigh of Corca Laoighdhe, seated in Barryroe barony at Dunocowhey.[1][5]
Co. GalwayÓ Cobhthaigh of Ui Maine in Clonmacnowen barony; also the rare Ó Cathmhogha.[1][4]
Co. WestmeathÓ Cobhthaigh of Westmeath, 'a celebrated bardic family' (Woulfe).[1]
Co. MayoÓ Cobhthaigh of Umhall, 'anciently lords of Umhall, Co. Mayo'.[1]
Co. DerryÓ Cobhthaigh of Derry, 'a family which produced many worthy ecclesiastics'.[1]

Notable people named Coffey

Murray O'Coffeyd. 1173Bishop of Derry and Raphoe; the Four Masters record he rebuilt and consecrated many churches.[7]
Teige O'Coffeyfl. 1546'Preceptor of the schools of Ireland in poetry'; imprisoned eighteen weeks by the English 'for his attachment to the Irish'.[9]
Charles Coffeyd. 1745Dramatic author who wrote nine successful pieces; Webb says 'The Devil to Pay' kept its hold on the stage.[11]

Other spellings

O'Coffey · Coffee · Cowhey · Cowhig · O Coffie[7]

The Coffey coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Coffey surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Coffey crest gifts

Clan Ocoffey Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap OW42 Ocoffey Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Ocoffey Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Coffey Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap NC74 Coffey Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Coffey Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Ocoffey Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapGX55 Classic Cap - Ocoffey Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Ocoffey Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Coffey Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapGY38 Classic Cap - Coffey Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Coffey Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Coffey surname: questions

What does the surname Coffey mean?

Woulfe lists Coffey under Ó Cobhthaigh, 'descendant of Cobhthach', a personal name he glosses as 'victorious'. He also lists it under Ó Cathbhuadhaigh ('battle-victorious'), Ó Cathbhadha and Ó Cathmhogha.[1][2][3][4]

Is Coffey an Irish name?

Yes. Woulfe lists Coffey as an anglicised form of four Irish surnames: Ó Cobhthaigh, borne by several distinct families in Cork, Galway, Mayo, Westmeath and Derry; Ó Cathbhuadhaigh; Ó Cathbhadha; and Ó Cathmhogha.[1][2][3][4]

Where in Ireland is the Coffey name from?

Several places: Woulfe names Ó Cobhthaigh families in West Cork, Galway, Mayo, Westmeath and Derry, and says Ó Cathbhuadhaigh is very common in Kerry. In 1890 Coffey birth entries (including spelling varieties) were chiefly in Kerry, Tipperary, Dublin, Cork and Roscommon.[1][2][5][12]

Were the O'Coffeys poets?

Woulfe calls the Westmeath Ó Cobhthaigh 'a celebrated bardic family', and the Annals of the Four Masters record several O'Coffey poets, such as Teige son of Hugh O'Coffey (d. 1554), 'Chief Precentor of Ireland and Scotland in poetry'.[1][10]

Are Coffey and Coffee the same name?

Matheson's 1901 list of surname varieties in Ireland gives Coffee under Coffey, meaning the two spellings were found used interchangeably in Irish registration records; he says this does not mean such names are in all cases forms of the same name.[6][13]

Sources

  1. Ó Cobhthaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cobhthaigh.php
  2. Ó Cathbhuadhaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cathbhuadhaigh.php
  3. Ó Cathbhadha — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cathbhadha.php
  4. Ó Cathmhogha — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cathmhogha.php
  5. Coffey — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/coffey.php
  6. Coffey — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/297.php
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1173 (part 1) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text001.html
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1415 (part 5) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text005.html
  9. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1546 (part 5) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text005.html
  10. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1554 (part 6) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text006.html
  11. Charles Coffey — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/CharlesCoffey.php
  12. Table Explanation — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/table-explanation.php
  13. Memorandum Explanatory of Alphabetical List — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/memorandum.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).