Rufus Family History
Rufus Name Meaning
English: variant of Ruff (see Rough ) with post-medieval excrescent -(e)s. The spelling of the surname has been modified to look like the personal name Rufus which came into vernacular use in England in the 19th century. This personal name however may be the origin of the surname among African Americans (see 3 below). African (mainly Nigeria) and probably also African American: from the personal name Rufus borne by various minor early Christian saints. Originally it was a Latin nickname for someone with red hair (see 2 above). Slovak (mainly Rúfus): nickname for a red-haired man from Latin rufus ‘red(dish) red-haired’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022