From Ó Gamhna, ‘calf’ — a Roscommon and Sligo name with several unrelated septs sharing it.
The Gaffney certificate.
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Gaelic Origin · Root meaning ‘calf’
Gaffney comes from Ó Gamhna, built on gamhain, ‘calf’ — likely an ancestor's nickname. Several distinct, unrelated septs carried the name across Roscommon, Sligo and further afield, in the same pattern seen in names like Ronan and Scanlon.
A humble word for a name that spread wide anyway — cattle mattered enough in Gaelic Ireland that even a calf could give a family its name.
Irish form: Ó Gamhna
