NameCensus.

UK surname

Lafferty

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Labhradha," meaning "descendant of Labhradha" (a personal name meaning "spokesman").

In the 1881 census there were 688 people recorded with the Lafferty surname, ranking it #5,256 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,824, ranked #2,393, up from #5,256 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Monkland, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Caldercruix and Plains, Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington and Airdrie North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lafferty is 2,836 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 310.5%.

1881 census count

688

Ranked #5,256

Modern count

2,824

2016, ranked #2,393

Peak year

2010

2,836 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lafferty had 688 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,256 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,824 in 2016, ranked #2,393.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 982 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Lafferty surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Lafferty surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lafferty 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 217 #9,784
1861 historical 334 #7,631
1881 historical 688 #5,256
1891 historical 797 #5,051
1901 historical 982 #4,831
1911 historical 200 #14,960
1997 modern 2,304 #2,696
1998 modern 2,407 #2,692
1999 modern 2,424 #2,702
2000 modern 2,427 #2,683
2001 modern 2,370 #2,686
2002 modern 2,478 #2,639
2003 modern 2,493 #2,572
2004 modern 2,469 #2,598
2005 modern 2,527 #2,522
2006 modern 2,601 #2,463
2007 modern 2,647 #2,446
2008 modern 2,677 #2,440
2009 modern 2,762 #2,431
2010 modern 2,836 #2,426
2011 modern 2,773 #2,441
2012 modern 2,711 #2,449
2013 modern 2,735 #2,470
2014 modern 2,790 #2,449
2015 modern 2,805 #2,413
2016 modern 2,824 #2,393

Geography

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Where Laffertys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Monkland, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Greenock and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Caldercruix and Plains, Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington, Airdrie North, Campbeltown and Greenock Upper Central. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 New Monkland Lanark
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Greenock Renfrew
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Caldercruix and Plains North Lanarkshire
2 Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington Renfrewshire
3 Airdrie North North Lanarkshire
4 Campbeltown Argyll and Bute
5 Greenock Upper Central Inverclyde

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lafferty

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lafferty

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Lafferty surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Lafferty household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Lafferty is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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 scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Lafferty is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Lafferty 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 Lafferty is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Lafferty

The surname Lafferty has its origins in Ireland, where it was first recorded in the 16th century. It is believed to be an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Laifeartaigh" or "Ó Labhartaigh," which means "descendant of Laifeartach" or "descendant of Labhartach." The personal name Laifeartach or Labhartach is derived from the Old Norse name "Lôftr," meaning "praise" or "praise-worthy."

The name Lafferty is most closely associated with County Donegal in Ulster, where it was prominent among the Gaelic clans of that region. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Fiants of the Tudor sovereigns of England, which were official records of royal grants and pardons issued in Ireland during the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Lafferty was Phelim Oge Lafferty, a landowner in County Donegal who was mentioned in the Fiants of 1602. Another early bearer of the name was Patrick Lafferty, who was born in County Donegal around 1610 and served as a soldier in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.

In the 18th century, the Lafferty name gained prominence through individuals such as Redmond Lafferty (1720-1790), a Catholic priest and scholar who taught at the Irish College in Paris, and Hugh Lafferty (1755-1841), a United Irishman and rebel leader who fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.

The 19th century saw the rise of several notable figures with the Lafferty surname, including James Lafferty (1818-1891), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and missionary who served in the Diocese of Detroit, and William Lafferty (1843-1921), an Irish-born Australian politician and member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia.

Other notable individuals with the surname Lafferty include Sir Colville Lafferty (1878-1957), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as Governor of Bermuda, and Michael Lafferty (1920-2011), an Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler who played for the Donegal senior teams in both sports.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lafferty families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lafferty 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. Lanarkshire leads with 245 Laffertys recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.35x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 245 11.35x
Renfrewshire 117 22.63x
Ayrshire 54 10.81x
Stirlingshire 46 18.69x
Lancashire 32 0.40x
Yorkshire 21 0.32x
Durham 18 0.91x
Midlothian 16 1.79x
Cheshire 12 0.81x
Northumberland 12 1.21x
West Lothian 12 11.94x
Angus 11 1.78x
Dunbartonshire 11 6.14x
Surrey 11 0.34x
Kirkcudbrightshire 9 9.32x
Perthshire 9 3.01x
Staffordshire 8 0.36x
Essex 7 0.53x
Middlesex 6 0.09x
Carmarthenshire 5 1.78x
Kent 5 0.22x
Orkney 3 4.09x
Argyllshire 2 1.08x
Derbyshire 2 0.19x
Suffolk 2 0.25x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.16x
Berkshire 1 0.20x
Berwickshire 1 1.24x
Buteshire 1 2.47x
Cumberland 1 0.17x
Dorset 1 0.23x
Hampshire 1 0.07x
Roxburghshire 1 0.83x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 72 Laffertys recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.79x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 72 18.79x
Old Monkland 39 45.54x
West Greenock 30 32.32x
Barony 29 5.31x
Govan 27 5.06x
New Monkland 26 40.77x
Abbey 25 31.69x
East Greenock 24 49.15x
Campsie 22 162.96x
Maryhill 18 42.61x
Dreghorn 15 165.93x
Slamannan 15 111.28x
Auckinleck 13 84.09x
Bothwell 13 22.21x
Dundee 11 4.77x
Cambusnethan 10 20.86x
Lambeth 10 1.72x
Moss Side 10 24.00x
Dalry 9 38.30x
Twynholm 9 580.65x
Kyo 8 85.65x
Neilston 8 30.82x
Paisley Middle Church 8 26.58x
Perth Middle Church 8 71.05x
Queensferry 8 325.20x
Hatton In Runcorn 7 833.33x
Kirkintilloch 7 28.74x
Manchester 7 1.97x
Middle Greenock 7 49.61x
Middlesbrough 7 8.13x
Stirling 7 22.56x
Byker 6 12.23x
Dalrymple 6 191.69x
Lichfield St Mary 6 92.31x
Little Bolton 6 5.89x
Manningham 6 7.37x
Washington 6 72.12x
West Ham 6 2.06x
Barrow In Furness 5 4.64x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 5 96.15x
Gravesend 5 25.95x
Kirkleatham 5 55.99x
Llandilo Fawr 5 39.87x
Old Cumnock 5 44.96x
Butley 4 317.46x
Kensington London 4 1.08x
Rutherglen 4 12.63x
Shettleston 4 20.70x
Cross Burness N 3 78.33x
Eastwood 3 9.42x
Edinburgh New 3 43.23x
Edinburgh Tron Church 3 71.60x
Hexham 3 19.53x
Inverkip 3 24.61x
Mearns 3 33.11x
Port Glasgow 3 12.00x
Reddish 3 27.50x
South Leith 3 2.98x
Bonhill 2 6.95x
Cambuslang 2 9.20x
Carriden 2 43.96x
Ipswich St Mary At Elms 2 77.52x
Kilmarnock 2 3.37x
Longbenton 2 4.76x
Lullington 2 117.65x
Pontefract 2 14.04x
Row 2 8.62x
Sunderland 2 5.70x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 1 0.87x
Blairgowrie 1 8.45x
Blantyre 1 4.45x
Dunlop 1 32.05x
Dunoon 1 26.18x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 5.68x
Hawick 1 3.70x
Kilmory 1 16.98x
Lichfield St Chad 1 19.72x
New Windsor 1 5.94x
Portland 1 4.25x
Walthamstow 1 2.11x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 14
Elizabeth 7
Jane 7
Ellen 4
Maria 4
Ann 3
Annie 3
Catherine 3
Margaret 3
Sarah 2
Susan 2
A. 1
Alice 1
Charlotte 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Isabella 1
Julia 1
Kitty 1
Lettie 1
Lucy 1
Margret 1
Margretta 1
Martha 1
Maud 1
Nora 1
Rosina 1
Teresa 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 12
James 8
Patrick 4
Samuel 4
William 4
Frances 3
Hugh 3
Thomas 3
Archibald 2
David 2
Edward 2
Francis 2
Joseph 2
Martin 2
Michael 2
Micheal 2
Peter 2
Robert 2
Archer 1
Barnard 1
Bernard 1
Charles 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
George 1
Harry 1
Owen 1
Richd 1
Stephen 1
Willie 1
Willm. 1
Wm 1

FAQ

Lafferty surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lafferty surname in 1881?

In 1881, 688 people were recorded with the Lafferty surname. That placed it at #5,256 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lafferty surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,824 in 2016. That gives Lafferty a modern rank of #2,393.

What does the Lafferty surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Labhradha," meaning "descendant of Labhradha" (a personal name meaning "spokesman").

What does the Lafferty map show?

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