Meaning and background
The story behind Duffy
Duffy is a Gaelic-derived family name with more than one documented Irish source. One comes from Ó Dubhthaigh, 'descendant of Dubhthach', with a root for darkness; another comes from Mac Dhuibhshíthe, containing elements for dark and peace. Simply translating every Duffy as 'dark one' misses the second line. The name also works as a warm-sounding two-syllable dog call. Its history refers to family descent, not to the appearance or character of the animal.
- Origin
- Irish family name from Ó Dubhthaigh or Mac Dhuibhshíthe, with differing Gaelic origins Source
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About Duffy
Recorded as a dog’s name
Duffy appears in 13 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/dʌfi/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/dʌfi/ · primary stress on syllable 1D AH1 F IY0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.