Rafferty
An Irish surname, most often treated as an anglicized form of a Gaelic name that was later reshaped in English spelling.
The #3,802 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,159 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally explained as an Irish surname, usually anglicized from a Gaelic form beginning with O’/Ó and associated with a personal name such as Rafferty or Rafferty-like forms. The historical sources supplied here do not give a single secure derivation, and one 19th-century note explicitly treats it as Irish in origin. Because the exact Gaelic source form is not established by these excerpts, the safest explanation is that it is an Irish family name whose modern spelling reflects English adaptation.
History
Rafferty is well established as an Irish surname and appears in English-language records in several spellings. The 19th-century references here show the name circulating in surname lists and being discussed as an Irish form, but they do not preserve a full authoritative etymology. In modern usage it is especially associated with Ireland and the Irish diaspora.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 1903 surname dictionary explicitly cross-referenced Rafferty under Irish-origin names, showing that scholars of the period already regarded it as distinctly Irish.
From the historical record
“Raeburn. A loc. n., Dumfries Raffe. See Rolf Raffety. From the Irish O’Rafferty; a p.n. Raffles. Ft. Raphaels ; a p.n. Ragg. N. Ragi (a king) ; A.S. Rag, Wraca ; D. Rager ; Dch. Rack ;”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)Notable people named Rafferty
- Gerry Rafferty (1947–2011)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.