MCCAFFERTY
Recorded variant spellings include Mc Cafferty, Mccafferty
McCafferty is a surname of Irish origin, originally derived from the Gaelic patronymic Mac Eachmharcaigh. The name combines each meaning “horse” with marcach meaning “rider” or “warrior”; consequently the surname translates as “son of the horse rider” or “son of the warrior”.
The surname exists in a variety of spellings, including MacCaffrey, MacCaffery, MacCafferky, and the shorter McCafferty form. A number of further variants are also recorded, such as Cafferty, Cafferky, MacAfferty and McFerty, all of which share the same patronymic origin and are commonly found in the same geographic regions.
In Ireland, the surname is most closely associated with Ulster, especially Counties Tyrone, Meath, Cavan and Donegal. The historic sept is said to have formed part of the famous Clan MacGuires of Fermanagh, a connection that is immortalised in the town of Ballymacaffry in County Tyrone, which bears the name of the sept. Historical records also locate McCaffertys in the counties of Meath and Cavan, where the name frequently appears without the Mac prefix.
One early recording of the name dates to 1659, when Hugh MacCaffrey is noted in Petty’s hearth‑tax register of Ireland, a survey conducted during the reign of Richard Cromwell. This attests to the presence of the surname in the seventeenth century and situates it within the broader context of Irish landholding documentation.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, surviving registers record McCafferty families as witnesses, christenings and emigrants. For example, Frank MacCaffrey appears as a witness in Virginia, County Cavan on 1 March 1802, while Anna Cafferky is recorded as the daughter of Patrick and was christened at Kilkelly, County Mayo on 20 January 1806. The famine years brought several McCaffertys, such as John McCaffery (age 23) and his sister Eliza (age 20), to emigrate to North America on the ship Atlas from Belfast Lough on 11 May 1846.
Alternative explanations for the surname also exist. One account proposes that the name originates from Mac Gafraidh, which translates as “son of Godfrey”. This mirrors a tradition of early Irish families adopting the names of saints, particularly the 6th‑century Saint Godfrey, and places the McCaffertys within a broader saint‑based naming tradition. A less common historical form, Mac Goffrey, is also noted in early records, although it has largely fallen out of use in contemporary times.
The historical spread of the surname beyond Ireland is reflected in the surname’s presence in British and overseas communities. In the United Kingdom, the name is chiefly found in Ulster—especially in Counties Antrim and Down—and, to a lesser extent, in English provinces such as Yorkshire, Kent, Lancashire and Cumbria.
Across the Atlantic, the surname has a notable presence in the United States, predominantly within the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois and Ohio. In Canada, the surname is most common in Nova Scotia—hosting around five hundred households—yet it is also situated as far north as the Northwest Territories. Australian and New Zealand records show the surname among early settlers and later emigrants, with a prominent concentration in major cities such as Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.
McCafferty families are historically linked to the powerful O’Neill lineage of Northern Ireland, having first emerged in the twelfth century as a sept of that house. The sept originally settled in County Donegal before spreading across Ulster. Later, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the surname adopted the modern spelling now recognised in Ireland, Scotland and beyond.
Variants of the surname reflect its Gaelic roots. The MacCafferty form derives from Mac an Fhearadaigh, meaning “son of the man of Feradaigh” or simply “of the sea”. Other variants such as MacAfferty stem from Mac Fhirbhisigh (“son of the bard”), while McGafferty traces to Mac a Fhearghasigh, literally “son of the man of lightning”. These forms have maintained the core patronymic element and are traceable to the same historical families, predominantly in County Tyrone and neighbouring regions.
Today, while the surname remains uncommon in Ireland, it is nevertheless found in County Donegal and parts of Ulster. Those who carry the name in the diaspora are often praised for strong work ethic and determination, traits historically attributed to their O’Neill ancestry. This legacy of courage, loyalty and forthrightness continues to endear the surname to many of its bearers and to those who study its history.
Typical given names associated with the McCafferty surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Patrick
- Paul
- Robert
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Ann
- Anne
- Carol
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Laura
- Linda
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname McCafferty in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 4,143 people named McCafferty in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,250th most common surname in Britain. Around 64 in a million people in Britain are named McCafferty.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Ireland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named McCafferty
- Dan McCafferty - Singer
- Nell McCafferty - Irish writer
- Christine McCafferty - Politician
- Neil McCafferty - Northern Irish football player
- Dawn McCafferty - Commandant of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets
- Ian McCafferty - Middle- and long-distance runner
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.