McClafferty Surname

250,527th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 1,583 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Isle of Man

McClafferty Surname Definition:

MACLAVERTY, Maclafferty, Maclardie, Maclardy, Maclarty, Macleverty, Macclacharty: (this last a Galwegian spelling). The authors of The Clan Donald tell us in grandiloquent language that "The progenitor of the family from whom they take their name was known as 'Fear Labhairt an Righ,' or the King's Speaker, who received this disanction from the circumstance of his being employed by the King of the Isles as special ambassador to hostile tribes at feud with that potentate The office" they add, "appears to have become hereditary in the family" (Clan Donald, III, p.

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McClafferty Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,0641:340,65730,669
Ireland2861:16,4651,814
Scotland2421:22,1232,519
England2061:270,47621,309
Northern Ireland1251:14,7602,025
Canada571:646,41452,764
Australia551:490,83137,357
Wales131:238,04114,239
Isle of Man71:12,2602,387
Sweden51:1,969,351134,077
Thailand41:17,659,586685,799
New Zealand31:1,509,44147,971
Spain31:15,584,012120,866
India11:767,065,3821,851,717
Jersey11:99,2026,620
Netherlands11:16,887,176156,465
Gibraltar11:33,9541,660
Switzerland11:8,212,915156,297
Brazil11:214,074,3321,693,628
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland4131:10,7261,525
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Scotland471:79,6434,400
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1931:260,20021,388

McClafferty Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

MACLAVERTY, Maclafferty, Maclardie, Maclardy, Maclarty, Macleverty, Macclacharty: (this last a Galwegian spelling). The authors of The Clan Donald tell us in grandiloquent language that "The progenitor of the family from whom they take their name was known as 'Fear Labhairt an Righ,' or the King's Speaker, who received this disanction from the circumstance of his being employed by the King of the Isles as special ambassador to hostile tribes at feud with that potentate The office" they add, "appears to have become hereditary in the family" (Clan Donald, III, p. 550). The proper Gaelic form of the name is, of course, MacFhlaithbheartaich (with omission of Fh due to aspiration), 'son of the dominion bearing' or 'ruler.' The name is the same as the common Irish Flaithbheartach, now Flaherty, a name which occurs frequently in the Annals of the Four Masters and elsewhere. As an adjective modern Irish flaithbheartach has the meaning of generous, hospitable (Dinneen). Flaithbertach princeps (superior) Duinchaillden died in 872 (AU.), and Flaithbheartach ua Flaithbheartaigh was slain in 1133, a not uncommon ending for Gaels in the Middle Ages. The authors of The Clan Donald also state, without offering any proof of their assertion, that the Maclavertys "are descended from the Family of the Isles (i.e. the Macdonalds), and had their original habitat in Kintyre. They broke out early from the main stem, and claim descent from the founder of the Monastery of Saddell." The earliest of the name however in Scottish record is John M'Claffirdy, who filled the subordinate position of tenant under the Douglases in the lands of Mikilbrekauch in the barony of Ruitde, 1376 (RHM., I, p. Ix). John Macgillecrist Maklafferdich was one of those included in the remission granted Sir John Campbell of Cawdor and others in 1524 for the burning of the lands of Colonsay and the murder of Lachlan Maclean of Dowart in Edinbergh (Cawdor, p. 147). Gilcrist Malaverty held the lands of Langulchulchoich in Bute, 1540 (RSS., II, 3704). Alexander McLartvch of Gartcharran is recorded in 1609 (Poltalloch Writs, p. 135), Archibald M'Clertie was one of M'Nachtane's soldiers shipped at Lochkerran in 1627 (Archaeologia Scotica, III, p. 254), Dowgall McLairtie held a six-shilling land in Islay, 1686 (Bk. Islay, p. 518), Donald Roy M'Clorty is in Lergihony, parish of Craignish, 1686 (Argyll), and Angus M'Clairtick of Gartcharran, parish of Craig nish, is in record, 1693 (Argyll Inv.). Alexander M'Laertike is in record in Dimnamuke, 1672 (HP., II, p. 207), John M'Laertich was a merchant in Kilchoan, 1713; and Mrs. MacClarty has been immortalized in Mrs. Hamilton's The Cottagers of Glenburnie, first published in 1808. The Maclartys gave name to Eilean Mhic Labhartaich or MacLarty's Island (opposite Gartcharran) and to Sgeir Dubh Mhic Labhartaich or MacLarty's Black Rock (MacDougall, Craignish tales, p. 39). McClairty 1684, McLartie 1655.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

McClafferty Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name McClafferty Come From? nationality or country of origin

McClafferty occurs in The United States more than any other country/territory. It can also occur as:. For other possible spellings of this name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name McClafferty? popularity and diffusion

The last name is the 250,527th most prevalent surname internationally, borne by around 1 in 4,603,630 people. The surname McClafferty occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 70 percent of McClafferty are found; 70 percent are found in North America and 70 percent are found in Anglo-North America.

The surname is most frequently occurring in The United States, where it is carried by 1,064 people, or 1 in 340,657. In The United States it is most common in: Pennsylvania, where 28 percent are found, California, where 7 percent are found and New York, where 7 percent are found. Beside The United States McClafferty exists in 18 countries. It is also found in Ireland, where 18 percent are found and Scotland, where 15 percent are found.

McClafferty Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of McClafferty has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people bearing the McClafferty last name rose 551 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Ireland it declined 31 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Scotland it rose 515 percent between 1881 and 2014.

McClafferty Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the McClafferty last name is principally Catholic (100%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the McClafferty surname are 5.25% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 52.02% registered to vote for the party.

The amount McClafferty earn in different countries varies somewhat. In United States they earn 6.24% more than the national average, earning $45,840 USD per year and in Canada they earn 6.31% less than the national average, earning $46,546 CAD per year.

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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 McClafferty
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis