Surname MacRifferty - Meaning and Origin
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MacRifferty: What does the surname MacRifferty mean?
The last name MacRifferty is an Irish Gaelic surname, meaning “son of Rifferty”. Rifferty is itself an Anglicized version of the Gaelic Mac Riobaird. The Gaelic term “Mac” simply means “son of”, so this surname can be interpreted as “son of Riobaird”.
Riobaird is derived from the old Irish personal name "Ríomabart", or "high, noble one", and was derived from the Irish word "rí", meaning "king" or "nobleman", and "bairt" meaning "head", or "chieftain". It is likely that the MacRifferty surname originated as a patronymic for the hereditary chieftain of a local clan or family, indicating the original bearer was the descendant of a line of nobles.
The MacRifferty family originally hail from County Mayo in Ireland, and generally to this day the name is most common in that area. In the mid to late 19th century, many MacRiffertys emigrated to the United States and Canada, with the majority settling in Boston, Massachusetts and Ontario. In contemporary times, the name is mainly associated with the Northeastern United States and Ontario, Canada.
In summary, the last name MacRifferty is of Irish Gaelic origin, and indicates a hereditary chieftain of a clan or family. It originated from County Mayo in Ireland, and many of the original bearers of the name emigrated to the Northeastern United States and Ontario, Canada in the late 19th century.
Order DNA origin analysisMacRifferty: Where does the name MacRifferty come from?
The last name MacRifferty is most commonly found today in Ireland, Scotland, and Australia. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic Mac Riifheartaigh. According to surname databases, the most populous areas with this last name are in Ulster, Donegal, Galway, and Kerry, in Ireland, and in Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire, and Renfrewshire in Scotland. The variations MacRAFFERTY, MacRAFFERTA, and MacRIFLES are also fairly common in these areas.
In Australia, the last name MacRifferty is most heavily concentrated in the states of Victoria and New South Wales, along with the cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth. This is a result of Irish and Scottish immigrants who moved to the continent during the 19th century.
The United States also has a smaller population of immigrants with the surname MacRifferty, primarily scattered across the states of New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California. However, this population mostly descends from Irish or Scottish immigrants who settled in the country during the 19th century.
In conclusion, the last name MacRifferty is most heavily associated with Ireland and Scotland, though there are also smaller populations of it in Australia and the United States.
Variations of the surname MacRifferty
The surname MacRifferty is derived from the ancient Scottish-Gaelic form of 'Mac Ruaidhrí', meaning 'son of Ruaidhrí'. This is the Anglicized version of the surname, and it is also spelled as MacRafferty, MacRaffertee, MacRafferty, MacRafferte and many other variants, as well as forms from different languages including Irish, Scottish, English, French, Italian, and German.
In Scotland, the surname is often written as "r" for a hard 'R' sound (such as MacRaffarty), and the spelling in Ireland is usually MacRafferty, while there are other variations like MacRurty. The 'Mc' prefix is sometimes used as well, with other spelling varieties including MacRuarthy, MacRorers, McRifert, MacRuforty and MacRofarty.
Other spelling variants from other languages include MacRaverdy (French), MacRovaire (Italian), MacRüffe (German), MacRafferd (English), and MacRourke (Irish).
It is also common for there to be variations in the spelling of the name, such as McArufferty, MacRafferie, and MacRafferdie, due to different interpretations of the spelling by people over time.
The surname MacRifferty is connected to a popular Gaelic family name that was rooted in Scotland and Ireland and has since spread to many other countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Famous people with the name MacRifferty
- John MacRifferty: Irish professional snooker player
- Amy MacRifferty: British actress
- Owen MacRifferty: American reality TV star
- Kenneth MacRifferty: Canadian playwright and screenwriter
- Deirdre MacRifferty: New Zealand Olympic swimmer
- Angus MacRifferty: Australian stand-up comedian
- Anna MacRifferty: Swedish chef and restaurateur
- Patrice MacRifferty: French fashion designer
- Akilah MacRifferty: American basketball player
- Naomi MacRifferty: British pop star