Duff Family History

Duff Surname Meaning

Irish and Scottish: from Gaelic dubh ‘dark black’ used both as a nickname and a personal name. In Scotland it is typically a descriptive epithet for a dark-haired man (compare Dow).

In Ireland it is usually from Ó Duibh ‘descendant of Dubh’ or Mac Giolla Duibh ‘son of the servant of Dubh’. It is also found as a short form of Duffin and a variant of Duffy.

See also McDuff. In some cases possibly also a shortened form of Breton Le Duff a cognate of 1 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Duffy, Cuff, Huff, Luff, Buff, Duke, Puff, Ruffo, Duffer, Duer

225K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
29K	Military Records
34K	Immigration Records
189K	Census and Voter Lists
426K	Member Trees

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Where is the Duff family from?

You can see how Duff families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Duff family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Duff families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 521 Duff families living in Ontario. This was about 48% of all the recorded Duff's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Duff families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Duff surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Duff

What did your Duff ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Duff. 39% of Duff men worked as a Farmer and 14% of Duff women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Duff were Labourer and Income.

View Census Data for Duff

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

39%

Laborer

Clerk

Labourer

Stenographer

14%

Teacher

12%

Housekeeper

10%

Income

10%

What Duff family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 189K census records available for the last name Duff. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Duff census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Duff

Passenger List

There are 34K immigration records available for the last name Duff. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Duff immigration records

Military Records

There are 29K military records available for the last name Duff. For the veterans among your Duff ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Duff military records

You've only scratched the surface of Duff family history

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What is the average Duff lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Duff life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Duff in 1942 was 30, and 73 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Duff family tree

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Duff Surname Meaning

Irish and Scottish: from Gaelic dubh ‘dark black’ used both as a nickname and a personal name. In Scotland it is typically a descriptive epithet for a dark-haired man (compare Dow).

In Ireland it is usually from Ó Duibh ‘descendant of Dubh’ or Mac Giolla Duibh ‘son of the servant of Dubh’. It is also found as a short form of Duffin and a variant of Duffy.

See also McDuff. In some cases possibly also a shortened form of Breton Le Duff a cognate of 1 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Duff family from?

What did your Duff ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

39%

Laborer

Clerk

Labourer

Stenographer

14%

Teacher

12%

Housekeeper

10%

Income

10%

What Duff family records will you find?

What is the average Duff lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Duff life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Duff in 1942 was 30, and 73 in 2004.

Duff Family History

Duff Surname Meaning

905,000 record(s) for Duff

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Duff family from?

What did your Duff ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Duff family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Duff family history

What is the average Duff lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Duff family tree

Search for another surname

Duff Surname Meaning

905,000 record(s) for Duff

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Duff family from?

What did your Duff ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Duff family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Duff family history

What is the average Duff lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Duff family tree

Search for another surname