# Claffey (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/claffey/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 1,059 |
| US rank (2010) | 23,852 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 291,544 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.4% (1,034 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Laffey |

## Etymology

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Mac Fhlaithimh (“son of Flaitheamh”), a byname from flaitheamh (“prince, ruler”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Claffey in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 97% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 1.0% |

## Similar surnames

Cluff, Cliff, Culp, Colby, Clapp, Calvo, Clubb, Calfee, Calva, Cullop.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.