MacNiff Surname
Approximately 11 people bear this surname
MacNiff Surname Definition:
Most probably from Irish MacConduibh, 'son of Cu-aub' ("black hound'), which gives MacAnuff, MacAniff, MacKniff, etc. John M'Kniff in Lochones, 1674 (Kirkcudbright), and Donel M'cKnivr was inhabitant of Stirling, 1717 (Sc. Ant., VI p. 88).
Read More About This SurnameMacNiff Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 10 | 1:470,894 | 15,820 |
| United States | 1 | 1:362,458,933 | 1,988,048 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 1 | 1:4,429,866 | 40,727 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 12 | 1:4,184,890 | 180,076 |
MacNiff Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
Most probably from Irish MacConduibh, 'son of Cu-aub' ("black hound'), which gives MacAnuff, MacAniff, MacKniff, etc. John M'Kniff in Lochones, 1674 (Kirkcudbright), and Donel M'cKnivr was inhabitant of Stirling, 1717 (Sc. Ant., VI p. 88). Recorded in Loanhead, 1942.
Cunniff, also spelt Cunneffe, Coniffe etc., is the most usual anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Conduibh (cu: hound; dubh: black) and belongs almost exclusively to Counties Galway and Mayo.
Another form of the same name, MacNiff or MacNeeve is similarly associated with the adjacent Co.
Leitrim and when Strafford's Inquisition of Co. Mayo was made in 1636 MacEniffe with MacNuff appear in that county; a few years later MacConniffe and MacCunniffe were among the Irish Papist transplantees in Counties Galway and Mayo. MacAniff and MacEniffe and their spelling variants, however, are now found chiefly in Cos. Cavan and Tyrone, where Cadoo, Caddow and MacAdo or MacAdoo are also found; and these, strange as it seems at first sight, are also anglicized forms of Mac Conduibh. It would be hard to find any Gaelic Irish surname with more different anglicized forms: in addition to those mentioned above there are many rate forms occasionally found e.g. MacKiniff, MacEndoo, Caddy and Quinniff, numbering 22 in all. In the form Cadie and Caddy it occurs in the 1659 “census” (Co. Monaghan) and in the Jacobite attainders of the next generation (Navan), and in Co.
Cavan wills of a century later. In a manuscript in the National Library (G. 841) Risteárd Ó Foghlú suggests an alternative basic form for MacNeeve, MacAniff etc. viz Mac Naoimh; but I think we may accept Mac Conduibh as given by Woulfe in both cases. Another possibility is that Caddy is not a variant of Caddo but is MacCady (gaelice Mac Ada), or even perhaps the English name Cady.
In this connexion reference must be made to the Co. Cork name Canniff or Canniffe, which Woulfe says is rare though in 1852 Griffith found as many as 25 Canniffe families in west Cork. Woulfe gives 'Ó Ceannduibh for Canniff',treating it as entirely different from MacAniff. The fact that MacAniff belongs almost Canniff. exclusively to Co. Leitrim and the adjacents parts of Cavan supports its differentiation from
Cunniff, also spelt Cunneffe, Coniffe etc., is the most usual anglicized form of the Irish surname Mac Conduibh (cu: hound; dubh: black) and belongs almost exclusively to Counties Galway and Mayo.
Another form of the same name, MacNiff or MacNeeve is similarly associated with the adjacent Co.
Leitrim and when Strafford's Inquisition of Co. Mayo was made in 1636 MacEniffe with MacNuff appear in that county; a few years later MacConniffe and MacCunniffe were among the Irish Papist transplantees in Counties Galway and Mayo. MacAniff and MacEniffe and their spelling variants, however, are now found chiefly in Cos. Cavan and Tyrone, where Cadoo, Caddow and MacAdo or MacAdoo are also found; and these, strange as it seems at first sight, are also anglicized forms of Mac Conduibh. It would be hard to find any Gaelic Irish surname with more different anglicized forms: in addition to those mentioned above there are many rate forms occasionally found e.g. MacKiniff, MacEndoo, Caddy and Quinniff, numbering 22 in all. In the form Cadie and Caddy it occurs in the 1659 “census” (Co. Monaghan) and in the Jacobite attainders of the next generation (Navan), and in Co.
Cavan wills of a century later. In a manuscript in the National Library (G. 841) Risteárd Ó Foghlú suggests an alternative basic form for MacNeeve, MacAniff etc. viz Mac Naoimh; but I think we may accept Mac Conduibh as given by Woulfe in both cases. Another possibility is that Caddy is not a variant of Caddo but is MacCady (gaelice Mac Ada), or even perhaps the English name Cady.
In this connexion reference must be made to the Co. Cork name Canniff or Canniffe, which Woulfe says is rare though in 1852 Griffith found as many as 25 Canniffe families in west Cork. Woulfe gives 'Ó Ceannduibh for Canniff',treating it as entirely different from MacAniff. The fact that MacAniff belongs almost Canniff. exclusively to Co. Leitrim and the adjacents parts of Cavan supports its differentiation from
MacNiff Demographics
MacNiff Religious Adherence
in Ireland
Religious Adherence
in Ireland
MacNiff Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name MacNiff Come From? nationality or country of origin
The surname MacNiff occurs more in Ireland more than any other country or territory. It can also appear in the variant forms:. Click here for further potential spellings of this name.
How Common Is The Last Name MacNiff? popularity and diffusion
The last name MacNiff is the 5,812,366th most commonly held last name worldwide, borne by approximately 1 in 662,504,174 people. The surname is primarily found in Europe, where 91 percent of MacNiff live; 91 percent live in Northern Europe and 91 percent live in British Isles.
The surname is most frequent in Ireland, where it is borne by 10 people, or 1 in 470,894. In Ireland MacNiff is mostly found in: Connaught, where 100 percent reside. Outside of Ireland it occurs in one country. It also occurs in The United States, where 9 percent reside.
MacNiff Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The frequency of MacNiff has changed through the years. In Ireland the number of people who held the MacNiff last name increased 1,000 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in The United States it decreased 92 percent between 1880 and 2014.
MacNiff Last Name Statistics demography
The religious devotion of those holding the last name is primarily Catholic (100%) in Ireland.
Phonetically Similar Names
Search for Another Surname
The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data
Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacNiff
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis