# Mahaffey (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mahaffey/  
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) | 8,079 |
| US rank (2010) | 4,400 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 38,216 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.0% (7,996 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Mahaffee, Mahaffie, Mahaffy, Mehaffey |

## Etymology

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Dhuibhshíthe (“son of Dhuibhshíth”), a personal name composed of the elements dubh (“black”) + síth (“peace”). Compare McAfee.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Mahaffey 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 | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Similar surnames

Mehaffey, Maffei, Mabe, Mapp, Mabie, Muff, Mabey, Maybee.

## 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.