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Duffy
How to Pronounce Duffy
Pronounced DUFF-ee /หdสfi/Medium
Meaning: Duffy is an Irish surname, anglicized from O Dubhthaigh, a family name built on dubh, dark or black. Used as a first name it carries that dark-haired or dark-complexioned sense.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. ยท SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880โpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Duffy is an Irish surname turned first name, anglicized from O Dubhthaigh and rooted in dubh, dark or black, a nickname for a dark-haired or dark-featured ancestor. It appears in United States birth records from the nineteen-teens, peaked around nineteen-sixty-nine, and never rose past a couple dozen boys a year in given-name use.
A boy named Duffy at that peak would now be in his fifties, and the name reads as a friendly, Irish surname-style pick. It fits the modern taste for surname first names but has stayed rare as a given name, better known as a family name and stage name.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Duffy mean?
It is an Irish surname from dubh, dark or black, a nickname for a dark-haired or dark-featured ancestor.
How do you pronounce Duffy?
It is said DUFF-ee /หdสfi/, two syllables.
Is Duffy a boy or girl name?
Duffy is used here as a boy's name.
Is Duffy a common name?
No. As a given name it was always rare, given to just a couple dozen boys a year at its mid-century peak.