Duff
A Scottish and Irish surname often linked to the Gaelic word for “black” or to a medieval ancestor named Duff.
The #2,202 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,671 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained from Gaelic dubh, meaning “black” or “dark.” In Scottish usage it is also associated with a personal name, Duff or Dubh, so the surname can be patronymic in form: “son of Duff.” Older English records also show some Duff-like surnames being tangled with other names and spellings, so not every modern Duff family will share the same origin.
History
Historical writers often connected Duff with the powerful MacDuff line of Fife in medieval Scotland, though even 19th-century authorities noted that this pedigree was disputed and not securely documented. The name also appears in Irish and Scottish contexts as a surname and as part of place-names and clan-style forms such as MacDuff. Because the spelling is short and old, it has been used for several related but not always identical family lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley and Harrison both point to MacDuff as the underlying Scottish form, reflecting how closely the surname was tied to clan history in older scholarship.
From the historical record
“DUFF Dudgeon, Dudaon. — Bapt. Merely variants of Dodgson or Dodson (v. Dodge). That Dodson had become Dudson fairly early we have proof : iti^ Married— Simon Dudion and Sarah Chaleoor: St. Tlioiiua the ApoMie There need not be the sligliteit”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instancesNotable people named Duff
- Hilary Duff (b. 1987)
- Damien Duff (b. 1979)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.