Biff
A masculine English name originally used as a nickname for Obadiah.
Name Census estimates that about 206 living Americans carry the first name Biff. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Biff today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Biff births was 1956 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Biff. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
206
~ 1 in 1,663,856 Americans
Peak year
1956
26 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
1980 SSA rank
#4,986
Tracked since 1944
Popularity
Biff: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Biff from the 1940s through to the 1980s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 132 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Biff by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Biff during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Biffs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Biff
The given name Biff is believed to have originated from the Old English word "byffe," which meant "to strike or beat." It is thought to have been a nickname or term of endearment given to boisterous or mischievous young boys. The name gained popularity in the Middle Ages, particularly among the working classes in rural areas of England.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Biff dates back to the 14th century. In the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, there is a character named Biff the Miller, who is described as a brawny and rowdy individual. This literary reference suggests that the name was already in use during the late medieval period.
In the 16th century, the name Biff appeared in several parish records and court documents across England. One notable bearer of the name was Biff Underhill, a farmer from Hertfordshire, who was involved in a land dispute in 1587. Another early recorded instance was Biff Simmons, a blacksmith from Yorkshire, who was mentioned in a guild register in 1612.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Biff remained relatively uncommon, but it continued to be used sporadically in various parts of England and Scotland. One famous bearer of the name was Biff MacDonald (1676-1745), a Scottish soldier who fought in the Jacobite Risings and was later captured at the Battle of Culloden.
In the 19th century, the name experienced a slight resurgence in popularity, particularly in the United States. One notable figure was Biff Tannen (1832-1912), an American frontiersman and explorer who was known for his adventures in the Wild West. Another prominent bearer of the name was Biff Hooper (1857-1935), a baseball player who played for the Chicago White Stockings in the late 1800s.
In the 20th century, the name Biff gained widespread recognition due to its association with the character Biff Loman in Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman" (1949). The name was also popularized by the character Biff Tannen, the antagonist in the "Back to the Future" film trilogy (1985-1990).
Other notable individuals named Biff include Biff Henderson (1924-2019), an American actor and comedian known for his work in television and film; Biff Elliot (1923-2012), a Canadian ice hockey player who won multiple Stanley Cup championships with the Toronto Maple Leafs; and Biff Pocoroba (1936-2019), an American professional wrestler and actor.
People
Biff + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Biff as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Biff: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Biff?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 206 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Biff going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,663,856 US residents.
Is Biff a common name?
We classify Biff as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 254 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Biff most popular?
The single biggest year for Biff was 1956, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Biff is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Biff a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Biff in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.