DUFF
Duff is a surname that originates from the Gaelic language of the Scottish highlands. It is traditionally associated with the British Isles, and in particular with the country of Scotland itself where the name has been recorded for over seven centuries.
The root of the name is the Gaelic word dubh, which translates literally as “dark” or “black.” In early medieval usage this term was frequently applied as a personal name or nickname to describe individuals with a dark complexion or dark hair. It could also denote proximity to a black or dark-coloured landscape feature such as a hill or a stream, and it might have been used to indicate a somber or serious temperament.
In addition to the single-word form, the surname is found in several variant spellings, including Dow, Dove and Dew. All of these orthographic variants are derived from the same Gaelic root and reflect the Anglicised rendering of the original term.
The name appears in early documentary sources in the medieval period. The earliest extant record dates from 1275, when an individual named Duncan Duff is listed as a witness in the “Charters of the Priory of Beauly” during the reign of King Alexander of Scotland. In the year 1341, a certain Brokynus Duff is mentioned in an inquisition concerning lands in Aberdeen, and the following year Machabeus Duff is recorded as a burgess of Cullen. A later example from 1645 records the marriage of James Duff with Margarett Still at St. Margaret's, Westminster, London.
When the surname was employed in a patronymic form it was rendered as MacDuff or McDuff, meaning “son of Duff.” This naming convention was common in Gaelic societies, where a child's surname was derived from the father’s given name.
The use of Duff as a hereditary family name reflects the broader medieval European practice of adopting nicknames or descriptive terms as surnames. Such names were originally given to individuals for a variety of reasons, including physical attributes, temperament, occupation or even habitual dress, and over time they became fixed family identifiers.
Overall, the surname Duff remains a clear linguistic marker of Gaelic heritage, with a history that spans from a simple descriptive nickname to a settled family surname recognised across Scotland and beyond. Its continued presence in contemporary records attests to the enduring legacy of this dark-coloured name within the cultural tapestry of the British Isles.
Typical given names associated with the Duff surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Peter
- Robert
- William
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Fiona
- Helen
- Jean
- Lesley
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Duffe
- Duf
- Doeff
- Dufay
- Duffay
- Duffas
- Dafe
- Daff
- Daffe
- Daffu
- Dafoe
- Daive
- Daphu
- Dav
- Dava
- Dave
- Davi
- Davia
- Daviau
- Davie
- Davo
- Davou
- Deaf
- Deave
- Deef
- Deeve
- Def
- Defeo
- Defeu
- Deff
- Deffee
- Deffoe
- Defoe
- Deif
- Dephu
- Dev
- Deva
- Devai
- Deve
- Deveau
- Devi
- Devia
- Devie
- Devo
- Devoe
- Diafi
- Dief
- Dif
- Diff
- Diffa
- Diffee
- Diffie
- Diouf
- Diva
- Dive
- Divi
- Doff
- Dohfi
- Doof
- Doove
- Dov
- Dovauo
- Dove
- Dovi
- Dovie
- Dufau
- Dufey
- Duffau
- Duffee
- Duffes
- Duffew
- Duffey
- Duffie
- Duffies
- Duffiey
- Duffis
- Duffs
- Duffus
- Duffy
- Duffys
- Dufie
- Duft
- Dufy
- Duva
- Duve
- Duviau
- Taafe
- Taaff
- Taaffe
- Tafa
- Tafe
- Taff
- Taffe
- Taffee
- Tafi
- Taif
- Taife
- Tauffe
- Tav
- Tava
- Tave
- Taveau
- Tavio
- Tavo
- Tefe
- Teff
- Tefo
- Teifi
- Tiff
- Tiffe
- Tiffou
- Toff
- Toffe
- Toffee
- Toffi
- Tofi
- Tov
- Tove
- Tovee
- Ttofi
- Tufa
- Tuff
- Tuffe
- Tuffee
- Tufo
- Tuifua
- Tyfe
- Tyffe
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Duff in...
Braille
⠙⠥⠋⠋
Morse
-....-..-...-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 9,820 people named Duff in the UK. That makes it the 948th most common surname in Britain. Around 151 in a million people in Britain are named Duff.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Duff
- Anne-Marie Duff - Actress
- Hilary Duff - American actress and singer
- Haylie Duff - American actress, singer-songwriter
- Blythe Duff - Actress
- Duncan Duff - Actor
- Michael Duff - Northern Irish football player and manager
- Graham Duff - Actor, writer and producer
- Michael Duff - Physicist
- Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife - Politician (1849 to 1912)
- Mickey Duff - Polish-born British boxer, matchmaker, and promoter (1929 to 2014)
- Andrew Duff - Politician
- Alexander Duff - Christian missionary and educator in India (1806 to 1878)
- Patrick Duff - Singer-songwriter
- Stuart Duff - Football player
- Antony Duff - Director General of MI5 (1920 to 2000)
- Shane Duff - Northern Irish football player
- Billy Duff - Football player (1938 to 2002)
- George Duff - Royal Navy officer (1764 to 1805)
- M. E. Grant Duff - Scottish politician, administrator and author (1829 to 1906)
- Edward Gordon Duff - Librarian (1863 to 1924)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.