Heffernan is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó hIfearnáin, which comes from the byname Ifearnán literally meaning 'little demon' or more metaphorically 'daredevil'. Heffernan gives rise to alternatives such as Heffernon and Hefferan. The name sometimes contains the O' prefix.

List of people surnamed Heffernan

• Angie Heffernan, Fijian activist
• Bill Heffernan (born 1943), Australian senator
• Bob Heffernan, Australian footballer
• Chris Heffernan, Australian footballer
• Christian Heffernan, Canadian football player
• Christy Heffernan, Irish sportsman
• Daniel Heffernan, English footballer
• Dean Heffernan, Australian soccer player
• Frank Heffernan (1892–1938), Canadian hockey player
• Gavin Heffernan, Canadian filmmaker
• Gerald Heffernan, Canadian ice hockey player
• James Heffernan (Irish politician), Irish politician
• James J. Heffernan (1888–1967), U.S. Representative from New York
• John Heffernan (disambiguation), several people
• Josephine Heffernan (1876 - 1962), Irish-American nurse
• Kate Heffernan (born 1999), New Zealand cricketer
• Kevin Heffernan (disambiguation), several people
• Killian Heffernan (born 2002), Irish darts player
• Margaret Heffernan, international businesswoman and writer
• Michael Heffernan (disambiguation), several people
• Nathan Heffernan (1920–2007), American judge
• Neil Heffernan (1970–present), American professor of computer science
• Paul Heffernan, Irish footballer
• Ray Heffernan (disambiguation), several people
• Robert Heffernan, Irish walker
• Roy Heffernan (1926–1993), Australian wrestler
• Seamie Heffernan, Irish jockey
• Virginia Heffernan, American journalist
• William Heffernan, American author
• William J. Heffernan (1872–1955), New York politician

Fictional characters

• Carrie Heffernan, fictional character in The King of Queens
• Doug Heffernan, fictional character in The King of Queens

Other uses

• Heffernan v. City of Paterson, a legal case

Sources

• Heffernan at behindthename.com