Huff
Usually a shortened or altered form of a place-based surname, especially from Hough in northern England.
The #612 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,565 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is most likely connected with English Hough, a place-name found in parts of northern England. In older surname spelling, Hough could appear as Huff, reflecting local pronunciation and scribal variation. Some older scholars also left open the possibility of other related English forms, but the place-name explanation is the strongest one in the excerpts.
History
19th-century surname writers specifically linked Huff with Hough, especially in Yorkshire. The form appears in medieval records, including a 1379 Yorkshire example written as Willelmus de Huff, showing that the spelling was established quite early. In modern English-speaking countries, Huff has become a fairly common surname, especially in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some old sources treat Huff as one of several spellings that can reflect the same north-English place-name pronunciation, rather than a separate surname in origin.
From the historical record
“of Bramley, near Leeds. Houfe is a curious corruption, but not unlike the instance below (v. also Huff). Of the Cheshire and South Lanca- shire Houghs neariy all hail from Hough, now called 'the hough,' a portion of the parish ofWihnslow, CO. Ches.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances