Gaffey (alternately Mac/Mc Gaibhidhe) is a surname originated from South

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Del ...

almost exclusively to the area around Athlone.

History

Originally Mac the name was Anglicized to Gaffey in the 17th century. There has been confusion about the origins of the Gaffey name, some people believing that the name came from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and moved to Ulster during the Ulster plantation and moved again to Connacht in the wake of the O'Donnells. This has been disproven as they did not come from Donegal nor did they settle in north Connacht like other Ulster families. A poet named O'Dugan wrote in "The Topographical Poem" of a sept called Mac Gaibhidh, describing their location as a "land of fruit" it was clearly not the west or north of Connacht but instead the southern

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who buil ...

area. It is thought that the Gaffeys are descendants of

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

who sailed down the River Shannon and settled near the Viking town, Athlone. The name Mac Gaibhidhe comes from the Irish "mac an gabha" which translates to "Son of the Smith". Irish people called Vikings "The Blacksmiths" for their skills at iron work and it is believed that this is where the Gaffey name originates. There is more confusion to the name Gaffey as not all Gaffeys are from the original Mc Gaibhidhe name. some small branches of the Gaffney family moved from Britain to Connacht during some unknown point of time and converted their name to Gaffey as they hibernicized. And Gaffeys that moved to Scotland and Australia changed their names to Gaffney. And the name Gaffey and

Hackett (surname) Hackett is an English surname found throughout the British Isles and the English diaspora. In the early seventeenth century, members of the Hacketts migrated to the New World, first settling in Canada, Barbados and Virginia. According to the 1990 ...

have such similar coat of arms that they are often confused with each other by heraldry websites.

Coat of arms

The Gaffey coat of arms is a white chief containing three green shamrocks or trefoils symbolising peace, authority and perpetuity, the rest of the shield is Royal blue (azure) containing three fish (vertical) symbolising loyalty and virtue. The motto of the Gaffey family is "Fortitudine et prudentia" meaning Courage and Caution. The family colors of the Gaffey family are royal blue and white as shown by their mantle. and their crest is a golden crown below a double-headed eagle supporting two serpents lifting a tiara.

People

Notable people with the surname include: * Hugh Joseph Gaffey (1895–1946), Chief of Staff for General George Patton's Third Army during World War II *

John Tracy Gaffey John Tracy Gaffey (November 1, 1860 – January 9, 1935) was a journalist, state and city official, real-estate speculator and investor at the turn of the 20th century in Los Angeles, California. Personal Gaffey was born on November 1, 1860 i ...

(1860–1935), a journalist, state and city official, real-estate speculator and investor at the turn of the 20th century in Los Angeles, California * Michael Gaffey (1893–1961), the police chief of San Francisco between 1951 and 1955 * Michael James Gaffey, planetary scientist who specializes in deriving the mineralogies of asteroids from their reflectance spectra * Nigel Gaffey (born 1970), Australian rugby league footballer * Thomas Gaffey, American politician, state senator from Connecticut since 1995

Sources

*"Supplement Irish families" by Edward MacLysaght M.A, D.Litt., M.R.I.A *"Historic Families" Aston house, Dublin {{surname Irish families Surnames of Irish origin Occupational surnames

History

Coat of arms

People

See also

Sources