Duffe Surname: Origin, Meaning & Coat of Arms

Duffe and Duffy are two spellings with one history. Name scholars give the meaning as “Descendant of Dubhthach, "dark one"”.

Arms associated with the name

Arms linked to Duffy and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to.

How the spelling arose

Spelled with “e” instead of “y”, Duffe shows how the same name was heard and written differently. Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written. Other spellings include Duffee, Duffey and O'Duffy.

Duffe sounds close to Duff, so it can help to search both. For the full story, order the Duffe surname pack.