Gaffney Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Gaffney last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Gaffney last name
Meaning of the Gaffney last name: calf. Gaffney is an Irish surname from Ó Gamhna, 'descendant of Gamhain', from gamhain, 'calf'. The last name is found mainly in Cavan, Roscommon and Dublin. A curious detail: in some families the name was turned into Caulfield, a loose English rendering built on the word calf.
Arms associated with the Gaffney name
Coats of arms associated with the Gaffney surname follow English heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Gaffney family history
This is only a glimpse of the Gaffney story. The full Gaffney history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Gaffney coat of arms. Get the full Gaffney report.
Gaffney name FAQ
What does the Gaffney name mean?
Calf. Common variants include Gaffeney, Gaughney.
Where does the Gaffney surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Gaffney coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Gaffney coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).