Duffy as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Duffy

What is the meaning of the name Duffy ?

The baby name Duffy is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdʌfi/ (DUF-ee).

Duffy is Irish in Origin.

Duffy is an Irish surname-turned-given name deriving from the Gaelic Ó Dubhthaigh, meaning "descendant of Dubhthach." The root dubh denotes "black, dark," and Dubhthach was a well-attested early Irish personal name; a famed bearer, Dubthach maccu Lugair, was the chief poet and jurist at the time of St Patrick. As a family name Duffy is widespread in Connacht and Ulster, later traveling widely with Irish diaspora.

As a first name, Duffy entered English-speaking use in the 19th and 20th centuries via the fashion for adopting surnames as given names. It has been used mostly for boys but can be unisex, with the informal, friendly short form Duff. Variant spellings and related forms include Duffey and O'Duffy; the older Gaelic Ó Dubhthaigh appears in historical records. The name carries the sense of a "dark-haired" or "dusky" ancestor and offers a brisk, lively sound.