The Mahaffey surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,079 people carried this name — #4,400 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 36,500 people counted. That is up 1% from 7,996 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Mahaffey surname

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Dhuibhshíthe (“son of Dhuibhshíth”), a personal name composed of the elements dubh (“black”) + síth (“peace”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Mahaffey» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In print

Mahaffey in American newspapers,
1892–1917.

Newspaper page from Daily Press carrying the name Mahaffey
Daily Press 1909-10-19
Newspaper page from The Dawson News carrying the name Mahaffey
The Dawson News 1892-09-14
Newspaper page from The Idaho Recorder carrying the name Mahaffey
The Idaho Recorder 1917-09-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 13,722 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Mahaffey in Australian newspapers,
1870s–1970s.

2,065 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Mahaffey. The most, 964, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 2.0 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 998
Queensland 907
Victoria 87
Western Australia 32
South Australia 29
ACT (Canberra) 4
Northern Territory 2
Tasmania 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Mahaffey.

Who carried it

People named Mahaffey,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Dorothy Jane Mahaffey 1921–2018
  • Valerie Mahaffey 1953–2025 · actor

Wikidata (CC0) · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Mahaffey,
in the records of 3 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States478 records

478 records of the Mahaffey name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 323
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 86
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 27
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 13
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 12
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 11
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 4
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Chester S. Mahaffey

    Born 1918 in Ohio. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Thomas Newport, Kentucky; farm hand from Adams County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Wilson Home For Funerals, Inc, Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Mahaffey

    Arrived at New York in 1863 aboard the Calhoun from Liverpool, aged 26; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Verne Albert Mahaffey

    U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II. Born 1897, died 1965; buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 478 records for Mahaffey in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia26 records

26 records of the Mahaffey name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 16
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 9
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Mahaffey

    Arrived in Queensland in 1929 aboard the Orvieto, aged 6.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Isaac Charles Mahaffey

    Of Moree, New South Wales; died 1933.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Mahaffey

    Will registered in Queensland in 1857.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 26 records for Mahaffey in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada7 records

7 records of the Mahaffey name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 4
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Alicia Mahaffey

    Died 1947 in Amherst, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Iain David Mahaffey

    Died in service in 1985.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Samuel Mahaffey

    Buried in 1943 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 7 records for Mahaffey in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Mahaffey.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Mahaffey is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Mahaffey volume
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