RUFF
Ruff is a surname with a multifaceted etymological history that spans Germanic and Norse roots as well as an English orthographic tradition rooted in medieval topography and personal description.
In the German context, the name derives from the Middle High German noun ruf, which carries the meanings of rough or coarse. When applied as a surname, it was most likely a descriptive nickname for a person with a coarse appearance or demeanor. A secondary derivation recognises that the same German word also means red, suggesting that the surname could have identified an individual with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
There is also a Norse element, in that Ruff may be a variant of surnames such as Ruffe, which itself is derived from the Old Norse personal name Hrothulf (with the meaning fame‑wolf). This indicates that, in some instances, the name may have entered English usage through Viking settlement or cultural interchange.
Within England, the surname originates from the Old English word ruh, which means rough. This root is tied to a topographic explanation: it was applied to a person dwelling on or near a patch of rough, uncultivated ground. Alternatively, the same word was used as a physical or behavioural nickname for someone who behaved in a rough manner. The earliest English record of the form Rough appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332 as John ate Roug; a 1279 entry in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire names John le Rug(h), while a 1296 record in Yorkshire names Geoffrey Rugh. By the late 16th century, the spelling Rough can be found throughout Scotland.
The surname is listed in several spellings across medieval documents, including Ruff, Rough, and Roug. A notable example is the christening of Robert Ruff, son of John Ruff, at St. Andrews, Holborn, London, on 9 August 1693. The range of orthographic variants reflects dialectic differences, phonetic attempts at spelling unfamiliar sounds, and the lack of standardised spelling norms in the Middle Ages.
Contemporary variant forms that have persisted into the modern era comprise Ruffe, Roffe, Rolfe, Rolph, Roaf, and Roff, among others. These alternatives are documented in a variety of legal, ecclesiastical and civil records across the British Isles.
In modern use, Ruff is registered primarily in the United States, where it appears frequently in the Mid‑West and the Northeast. Within England and Wales, it remains a comparatively rare surname. The name is occasionally found within communities of German or Irish descent, particularly within the Pennsylvania Dutch population, though no single demographic group exclusively dominates the name’s distribution.
Thus, the surname Ruff encapsulates a confluence of linguistic, geographical and cultural histories, illustrating how a single family name can simultaneously reflect a German descriptor of roughness or red hair, a Norse personal name reflecting fame, and an English topographical marker tied to the landscape of medieval England. Its survival in multiple spellings and its continued presence in contemporary records attest to its enduring legacy within the genealogical heritage of the British Isles and beyond.
Typical given names associated with the Ruff surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
Female
- Angela
- Caroline
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Karen
- Kathleen
- Kelly
- Michelle
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Susan
- Tina
Similar and related surnames
- Rough
- Ruf
- Rouff
- Rouf
- Roof
- Roufs
- Roofe
- Rueff
- Rouffe
- Rooff
- Rufai
- Ruffa
- Ruffe
- Ruffo
- Raaff
- Raavi
- Raev
- Raeva
- Rafa
- Rafe
- Rafee
- Raff
- Raffa
- Raffai
- Raffe
- Raffi
- Raffie
- Raffo
- Raffoe
- Rafi
- Rafia
- Rafie
- Rafiee
- Rafiei
- Rafii
- Rafiu
- Raif
- Raife
- Raiff
- Raiph
- Raiva
- Raivio
- Raof
- Raoof
- Raoofi
- Raouf
- Raoufi
- Raph
- Rauf
- Raufe
- Rauff
- Raufi
- Rauof
- Rav
- Rava
- Ravai
- Rave
- Ravi
- Ravia
- Ravie
- Ravo
- Ravu
- Rawf
- Reaf
- Reave
- Reavie
- Reef
- Reefe
- Reeffe
- Reev
- Reeve
- Reevie
- Refai
- Reff
- Reffo
- Reif
- Reiff
- Reiv
- Reive
- Reiveo
- Reva
- Revai
- Reve
- Revi
- Revia
- Revie
- Revu
- Riefe
- Rieve
- Rifa
- Rifai
- Rife
- Riff
- Riffe
- Riffi
- Rifi
- Riva
- Rive
- Rivi
- Rivia
- Roaf
- Roef
- Rof
- Rofe
- Roff
- Roffe
- Roffee
- Roffi
- Roffie
- Roffo
- Roife
- Rouph
- Rouve
- Rova
- Rovai
- Rove
- Royfee
- Royffe
- Rufey
- Ruffee
- Ruffey
- Ruffie
- Ruffus
- Ruffy
- Rufi
- Rufo
- Rufu
- Ruivo
- Ruoff
- Ryf
- Ryfa
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Ruff in...
Braille
⠗⠥⠋⠋
Morse
.-...-..-...-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,141 people named Ruff in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,957th most common surname in Britain. Around 33 in a million people in Britain are named Ruff.
Surname type: Nickname
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Ruff
- William Ruff - Wrestler (1883 to 1943)
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.