COFFEE Family History

This name, with variant spellings O'Coffey, O'Coffie, O'Cohey, Coffee, Cos(h)ey and Cowhiy, is an Anglicized form of the old Gaelic O' Cobhthaigh. The Gaelic prefix "o" indicates "male descendant of", plus the personal byname Cobhthaigh meaning "Victorious". There were three main septs of this name in Ireland. One belonged to Corca Laoidh (South West Cork) where local pronunciation gave the forms Cowhig and Cowhey. The sept is of the same stock as the great sea-faring O' Driscolls, long associated with Baltimore in South West Cork.