NameCensus.

UK surname

Cafferky

A place name or surname referring to a locality in Ireland.

In the 1881 census there were 13 people recorded with the Cafferky surname, ranking it #31,761 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 120, ranked #27,563, up from #31,761 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Manchester, Knowsley and Huntingdonshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cafferky is 133 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 823.1%.

1881 census count

13

Ranked #31,761

Modern count

120

2016, ranked #27,563

Peak year

2010

133 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cafferky had 13 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,761 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 120 in 2016, ranked #27,563.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 25 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Cafferky surname distribution map

The map shows where the Cafferky surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Cafferky surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cafferky over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1 #33,412
1881 historical 13 #31,761
1891 historical 3 #34,257
1901 historical 25 #31,259
1911 historical 23 #30,923
1997 modern 120 #24,158
1998 modern 118 #25,041
1999 modern 120 #24,960
2000 modern 120 #24,950
2001 modern 119 #24,733
2002 modern 108 #26,698
2003 modern 110 #26,220
2004 modern 113 #25,999
2005 modern 109 #26,583
2006 modern 113 #26,267
2007 modern 115 #26,348
2008 modern 121 #25,785
2009 modern 130 #25,176
2010 modern 133 #25,379
2011 modern 133 #25,177
2012 modern 129 #25,705
2013 modern 124 #26,842
2014 modern 123 #27,206
2015 modern 118 #27,833
2016 modern 120 #27,563

Geography

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Where Cafferkys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Manchester, Knowsley, Huntingdonshire, Abronhill South and Bolton. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Manchester 050 Manchester
2 Knowsley 014 Knowsley
3 Huntingdonshire 001 Huntingdonshire
4 Abronhill South North Lanarkshire
5 Bolton 019 Bolton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cafferky

These lists show first names that appear often with the Cafferky surname in historical and recent records.

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cafferky

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cafferky, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Cafferky surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Cafferky household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Cafferky is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cafferky is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cafferky falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cafferky is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Cafferky, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cafferky

The surname Cafferky has its origins in Ireland, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic "O'Cathfhearaigh," which translates to "descendant of Cathfhearaigh." The name Cathfhearaigh itself is a combination of two Gaelic words, "cath" meaning battle and "fearaigh" meaning man, indicating a warrior or fighter.

One of the earliest known references to the Cafferky name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a notable figure named Tadhg O'Cathfhearaigh, who was a renowned poet and historian from County Mayo in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the Cafferky surname was particularly prominent in County Sligo, where they held lands and were part of the local gentry. One notable figure from this period was Conor Cafferky, a landowner who played a role in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.

As the Irish diaspora spread across the world in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Cafferky name traveled with them. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is William Cafferky, who was born in County Sligo in 1789 and later emigrated to Pennsylvania, where he worked as a shoemaker.

Another notable Cafferky was Michael Cafferky, born in County Mayo in 1845. He was a prominent Irish nationalist and member of the Fenian Brotherhood, a revolutionary organization dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish republic. Cafferky was arrested and imprisoned for his involvement in the Fenian Rising of 1867.

In more recent history, Patrick Cafferky (1905-1985), a Irish-American politician from Massachusetts, served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and later as the Sergeant-at-Arms of the United States House of Representatives.

While the Cafferky name has evolved in spelling over time, with variations such as Cafferty, Caffery, and Caffrey, its roots remain firmly grounded in the rich history and culture of Ireland, where it once denoted a family of warriors and poets.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cafferky families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cafferky surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Denbighshire leads with 13 Cafferkys recorded in 1881 and an index of 271.40x.

County Total Index
Denbighshire 13 271.40x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wrexham Abbot in Denbighshire leads with 13 Cafferkys recorded in 1881 and an index of 10833.33x.

Place Total Index
Wrexham Abbot 13 10833.33x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Cafferky surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Margaret 2
Bridget 1
Catherine 1
Mary 1
Winefred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Cafferky surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Micheal 2
James 1
Michael 1
Patrick 1
Thomas 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Cafferky households.

FAQ

Cafferky surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cafferky surname in 1881?

In 1881, 13 people were recorded with the Cafferky surname. That placed it at #31,761 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cafferky surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 120 in 2016. That gives Cafferky a modern rank of #27,563.

What does the Cafferky surname mean?

A place name or surname referring to a locality in Ireland.

What does the Cafferky map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cafferky bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.