NameCensus.

UK surname

Laffey

An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Laifigh meaning "descendant of Laifigh".

In the 1881 census there were 111 people recorded with the Laffey surname, ranking it #18,597 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 380, ranked #12,346, up from #18,597 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Darlaston, Jarrow and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Tyneside, County Durham and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Laffey is 400 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 242.3%.

1881 census count

111

Ranked #18,597

Modern count

380

2016, ranked #12,346

Peak year

2014

400 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Laffey had 111 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,597 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 380 in 2016, ranked #12,346.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 181 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Laffey surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Laffey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Laffey 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 19 #29,904
1861 historical 60 #26,313
1881 historical 111 #18,597
1891 historical 168 #16,937
1901 historical 181 #16,107
1911 historical 175 #16,246
1997 modern 351 #12,145
1998 modern 367 #12,121
1999 modern 374 #12,026
2000 modern 374 #11,976
2001 modern 369 #11,928
2002 modern 382 #11,839
2003 modern 368 #11,963
2004 modern 366 #12,053
2005 modern 352 #12,315
2006 modern 355 #12,316
2007 modern 352 #12,546
2008 modern 360 #12,431
2009 modern 387 #12,021
2010 modern 387 #12,301
2011 modern 377 #12,392
2012 modern 381 #12,152
2013 modern 391 #12,123
2014 modern 400 #12,006
2015 modern 390 #12,139
2016 modern 380 #12,346

Geography

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Where Laffeys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Darlaston, Jarrow, Gateshead, Liverpool and Monkwearmouth (Fulwell), Jarrow (Monkton and Jarrow). These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Tyneside, County Durham, Wakefield and North Devon. 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 Darlaston Staffordshire
2 Jarrow Durham
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Monkwearmouth (Fulwell), Jarrow (Monkton and Jarrow) Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Tyneside 010 South Tyneside
2 South Tyneside 009 South Tyneside
3 County Durham 059 County Durham
4 Wakefield 021 Wakefield
5 North Devon 003 North Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Laffey

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Laffey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Laffey, 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 Laffey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Laffey 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Laffey is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Laffey 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

Laffey falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Laffey is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Laffey

The surname Laffey has its origins in Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "láf," which means "hand" or "palm." This suggests that the name may have been originally given as a descriptive nickname to someone with large or distinctive hands.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Laffey can be found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the reign of Henry VIII and his successors. In these records, a person named Patrick Laffey is mentioned in relation to land grants in County Westmeath, Ireland, in the year 1591.

The Laffey surname has also been historically associated with County Mayo in the West of Ireland. In the 17th century, several Laffey families were recorded as living in the parish of Killala, which was part of the old Barony of Erris. This connection to County Mayo is further reinforced by the existence of the townland of Laffey, located near the town of Ballina.

Notable individuals with the surname Laffey include John Laffey, an Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of Yonkers, New York, from 1892 to 1896. Another prominent figure was Michael Laffey (1857-1935), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Brooklyn from 1904 until his death.

In the realm of literature, the name Laffey is associated with the Irish writer and journalist James Laffey (1856-1928), who was a prominent figure in the Irish literary revival of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a co-founder of the Gaelic League and a contributor to several influential publications, including The Leader and The United Irishman.

Another notable bearer of the name was Edward Laffey (1892-1965), an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League (now the Australian Football League) during the 1910s and 1920s. He was a member of Carlton's premiership-winning teams in 1914 and 1915.

While the spelling "Laffey" is the most common form of the surname, variants such as Laffay, Laffy, and Laffie have also been recorded throughout history. These variations likely emerged due to phonetic spelling or regional dialects in Ireland and other areas where the name was established.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Laffey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Laffey 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. Durham leads with 35 Laffeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.87x.

County Total Index
Durham 35 10.87x
Lancashire 24 1.87x
Staffordshire 16 4.38x
Lanarkshire 14 4.00x
Hampshire 8 3.61x
Midlothian 4 2.76x
Middlesex 3 0.28x
Northumberland 2 1.24x
Yorkshire 2 0.19x
Berkshire 1 1.23x
Buteshire 1 15.24x
Surrey 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hedworth Monkton Jarrow in Durham leads with 19 Laffeys recorded in 1881 and an index of 136.20x.

Place Total Index
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 19 136.20x
Old Monkland 12 86.39x
Witton Gilbert 9 708.66x
Darlaston 8 158.42x
Liverpool 8 10.25x
Portsea 7 16.10x
Wednesbury 7 76.67x
Westoe 5 27.38x
Blackburn 3 8.78x
Litherland 3 111.52x
St Pancras London 3 3.44x
West Calder 3 104.90x
Bury 2 13.62x
Govan 2 2.31x
Heap 2 29.37x
Huddersfield 2 12.80x
Toxteth Park 2 4.60x
Tynemouth 2 23.18x
Winlaton 2 64.72x
Bilston 1 14.12x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 4.90x
Liberton 1 44.64x
Oldham 1 2.41x
Portsmouth 1 19.57x
Rotherhithe 1 7.47x
Rothesay 1 31.45x
Sonning 1 111.11x
Walton On Hill 1 14.37x
Windle 1 13.83x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Bridget 7
Margaret 4
Ann 3
Ellen 3
Annie 2
Louisa 2
Annabella 1
Catherine 1
Elizbth. 1
Heneritta 1
Janet 1
Johanna 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Margrt 1
Martha 1
Sarah 1
Susan 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Patrick 7
Thomas 7
John 6
Michael 5
Martin 4
James 3
Micheal 2
Michel 2
Charles 1
Joseph 1
Owen 1
Pattrick 1
Peter 1
Philip 1
Thos. 1
William 1

FAQ

Laffey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Laffey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 111 people were recorded with the Laffey surname. That placed it at #18,597 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Laffey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 380 in 2016. That gives Laffey a modern rank of #12,346.

What does the Laffey surname mean?

An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Laifigh meaning "descendant of Laifigh".

What does the Laffey map show?

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