Cuffee Explained
Cuffee, Cuffey, or Coffey is a first name and surname recorded in African-American culture, believed to be derived from the Akan language name Kofi, meaning "born on a Friday". This was noted as one of the most common male names of West African origin which was retained by some American slaves.[1]
Racist connotation
The name was used in the United States as a derogatory term to refer to Black people.[2] For example, Jefferson Davis, then a US Senator from Mississippi who later became the President of the Confederate States, said that the discussion of slavery in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case was merely a question of "whether Cuffee should be kept in his normal condition or not."[3]
Notable people
United States
- Cuffee Mayo (1803–1896), minister, laborer, and politician in North Carolina.
- Ed Cuffee (1902–1959), a jazz musician born in Norfolk, Virginia who moved to New York City in 1920 to pursue his career as a jazz trombonist.
- Paul Cuffee (1759–1817), a Massachusetts freeman and shipping magnate. Cuffee rejected the surname of his former owner, Slocum, and replaced it with his father's Akan name.[4]
- Paul Cuffee (missionary) (1757–1812), Native American (Shinnecock) Christian minister, missionary, and preacher.
United Kingdom
- William Cuffay (1788–1870), Chartist leader, the son of a former slave.
Jamaica
See also
- Quander family, oldest documented African-American family in the United States whose surname is of Fante origin.
Notes and References
- Book: Junius P. Rodriguez. Slavery in the United States: A Social, Political, and Historical Encyclopedia. 2007. ABC-CLIO. 978-1-85109-544-5. 1–.
- Book: Blassingame, John W. . Black New Orleans, 1860–1880 . September 15, 2008 . . 9780226057095 . 8 August 2017. Google Books.
- Speech to the United States Senate, May 7, 1860
- Book: Joseph Boskin. Sambo: The Rise & Demise of an American Jester. 1988. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-505658-7. 29–.
