# Duffy (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/duffy/  
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, an anglicization of Ó Dubhthaigh (“descendant of Dubhthach”). Dubhthach is a byname derived from dubh (“black”).

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 38,835 |
| US rank (2010) | 892 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 7,950 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.3% (37,962 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʌfi/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Duffey, Duhy, Duhig, Dowey, Douey, Dooey, Doey |

## Etymology

From the Irish surname, from Ó Dubhthaigh (literally “descendant of Dubhthach”) and Mac Duibhshíthe (literally “son of Duibhshíth”), from dubh (“black”) + sìth (“peace”), comparable to the surname Duff.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Duffy 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) | 91% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 4.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Duffy in the United States and Bermuda.

## People named Duffy

- Patrick Duffy, American actor
- Flora Duffy, Bermudian triathlete
- Sean Duffy, American politician, former sports commentator and reality television personality
- Julia Duffy, American film, stage, and television actress
- Thomas F. Duffy, American actor
- Gerald Duffy, American journalist and screenwriter (1896-1928)
- Karen Duffy, American actress
- Danny Duffy, American baseball player (born 1988)
- Colin Duffy, American rock climber and competition climber
- Troy Duffy, American film director
- Hugh Duffy, baseball player and manager (1866–1954)
- Jack Duffy, American actor (1882-1939)

and 2 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Duff, Duffey, Duffie, Duby, Dove, Dube, Davey, Diep, Dave, Devoe, Depew, Dupuy.

## 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.