Coffey Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Coffey last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Coffey last name
Meaning of the Coffey last name: descendant of Cobhthach ("victorious"). Coffey comes from the Gaelic Ó Cobhthaigh, from a personal name meaning "victorious". Several unrelated families carried it, including one in west Cork and a family of poets in the Irish midlands. Today it is most common in Cork, Kerry and Limerick. A curious detail: Cowhey is a Cork spelling that keeps the old Irish sound, while Coffee is a spelling that grew up in America.
Arms associated with the Coffey name
A curious Irish detail: many Gaelic families adopted arms only after Norman contact, blending old symbols with new heraldic rules, as Coffey families did.
Get your full Coffey family history
This is only a glimpse of the Coffey story. The full Coffey 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 Coffey coat of arms. Get the full Coffey report.
Coffey name FAQ
What does the Coffey name mean?
Descendant of Cobhthach ("victorious"). Common variants include Coffee, Cowhey, O'Coffey.
Where does the Coffey surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, England and Australia.
Is there a Coffey coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Coffey coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.