NameCensus.

UK surname

Dunphy

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Donnchadha," meaning "brown warrior" or "brown-haired warrior."

In the 1881 census there were 33 people recorded with the Dunphy surname, ranking it #28,965 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 943, ranked #6,083, up from #28,965 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochdale, Knowsley and Walsall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dunphy is 1,000 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 2757.6%.

1881 census count

33

Ranked #28,965

Modern count

943

2016, ranked #6,083

Peak year

2002

1,000 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dunphy had 33 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #28,965 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 943 in 2016, ranked #6,083.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 168 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Dunphy surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dunphy surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dunphy 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 52 #23,915
1861 historical 70 #24,911
1881 historical 33 #28,965
1891 historical 92 #25,109
1901 historical 123 #20,248
1911 historical 168 #16,620
1997 modern 925 #5,838
1998 modern 943 #5,942
1999 modern 947 #5,962
2000 modern 972 #5,829
2001 modern 951 #5,814
2002 modern 1,000 #5,684
2003 modern 965 #5,762
2004 modern 943 #5,873
2005 modern 950 #5,778
2006 modern 945 #5,817
2007 modern 947 #5,864
2008 modern 941 #5,926
2009 modern 971 #5,896
2010 modern 968 #6,032
2011 modern 969 #5,965
2012 modern 936 #6,055
2013 modern 936 #6,166
2014 modern 963 #6,061
2015 modern 957 #6,035
2016 modern 943 #6,083

Geography

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Where Dunphys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Toxteth Park, Llandudno and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochdale, Knowsley, Walsall, Surrey Heath and Caerphilly. 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 3
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 Llandudno Carnarvonshire
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochdale 007 Rochdale
2 Knowsley 006 Knowsley
3 Walsall 004 Walsall
4 Surrey Heath 005 Surrey Heath
5 Caerphilly 020 Caerphilly

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dunphy

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dunphy

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dunphy, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Dunphy surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Dunphy household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Dunphy is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dunphy 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

Dunphy 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 Dunphy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Dunphy

The surname Dunphy is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic Ó Donnchadha, which means "descendant of Donnchadh". Donnchadh was a popular personal name derived from the Gaelic elements "donn" meaning brown, and "cath" meaning battle or warrior. The name originated in County Kerry, Ireland, in the medieval period.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Dunphy can be traced back to the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It mentions Donnchadh Ó Donnchadha, who was a prominent chieftain in Kerry in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the surname appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of documents from the English government in Ireland. One notable figure was Edmond Dunphy, who was granted lands in County Kerry in 1586.

During the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 17th century, many Dunphys were displaced from their ancestral lands. Some migrated to other parts of Ireland, while others emigrated to Europe and the Americas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was John Dunphy, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. Another notable figure was Thomas Dunphy, born in 1664 in County Kerry, who later settled in Maryland and became a prominent landowner.

In the 18th century, the surname appeared in various records across Ireland, such as the Census of Elphin and the Diocesan Returns. Prominent individuals included Reverend James Dunphy, a Catholic priest from County Kerry, and John Dunphy, a member of the Irish Parliament in the late 1700s.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dunphy throughout history include:

1. Alice Dunphy-Schwartz (1905-1985), American politician and lawyer from New York. 2. Michael Dunphy (1915-2000), Irish writer and journalist known for his works on Irish history and culture. 3. Sean Dunphy (1919-2011), Irish hurler who played for the Waterford senior team in the 1940s. 4. Graeme Dunphy (born 1962), New Zealand rugby union player and coach. 5. Shane Dunphy (born 1981), Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Waterford senior team.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dunphy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dunphy 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. Lancashire leads with 14 Dunphys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.67x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 14 3.67x
Yorkshire 9 2.82x
Caernarfonshire 6 46.12x
Durham 1 1.05x
Gloucestershire 1 1.59x
Hampshire 1 1.52x
Northumberland 1 2.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Horton In Bradford in Yorkshire leads with 6 Dunphys recorded in 1881 and an index of 120.48x.

Place Total Index
Horton In Bradford 6 120.48x
Llandudno 6 1304.35x
Liverpool 4 17.26x
Bradford 3 38.86x
Toxteth Park 3 23.22x
Beswick 2 204.08x
Chorley 2 93.46x
Farnworth 2 87.34x
Farnborough 1 144.93x
Heworth 1 52.91x
Stapleton 1 83.33x
Tottington Lower End 1 55.25x
Wallsend 1 65.79x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 5
Catherine 2
Sarah 2
Cathrine 1
Ellen 1
Margaret 1

Top male names

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

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 Dunphy households.

FAQ

Dunphy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dunphy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 33 people were recorded with the Dunphy surname. That placed it at #28,965 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dunphy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 943 in 2016. That gives Dunphy a modern rank of #6,083.

What does the Dunphy surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Donnchadha," meaning "brown warrior" or "brown-haired warrior."

What does the Dunphy map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dunphy 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.