Duff
A name derived from the Scottish Gaelic term for a black or dark-colored man.
Name Census estimates that about 299 living Americans carry the first name Duff. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Duff today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Duff births was 1954 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Duff. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Duff is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Duffs were born before 1970.
People living today
299
~ 1 in 1,146,336 Americans
Peak year
1954
34 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
2008 SSA rank
#11,462
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Duff: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Duff from the 1880s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 177 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
Duff 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 Duff during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Duffs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Duff
The given name Duff originates from the Scottish Gaelic language and has its roots in the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Gaelic word "dubh," which means "dark" or "black." This name was likely initially used as a descriptive term referring to a person's physical appearance, specifically their dark hair or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Duff can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it appears as "Dub" in the year 962. This ancient Irish text mentions a man named "Dub Bairche" who was the King of Uí Ceinnselaigh, a medieval Irish kingdom located in present-day County Wexford, Ireland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Duff. One of the earliest examples is Duff of St. Andrews, also known as Duff Dun, who lived in the 9th century and was a renowned Scottish philosopher and theologian. He is credited with establishing the first school in Scotland and is considered one of the founders of the University of St. Andrews.
Another prominent figure was Duff Killravock, a Scottish nobleman who lived in the 15th century and was a prominent supporter of the Scottish Reformation. He played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in Scotland and was a close ally of John Knox, the famous Scottish reformer.
In the 17th century, Sir Duff Cooper (1890-1954) was a British politician and diplomat who served as the First Lord of the Admiralty during World War II. He was also a notable author and wrote several books on politics and history.
Moving forward, Duff Cooper (1822-1901) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry. He was known for his charitable works and donated significant sums of money to educational institutions and hospitals in Scotland.
Another notable figure was Duff Green (1791-1875), an American politician and journalist who served as the United States Consul to Saudi Arabia in the early 19th century. He was also the founder of the United States Telegraph, one of the earliest newspaper publications in the country.
While the name Duff may not be as common today as it once was, it has a rich historical legacy that spans centuries and encompasses various cultures, from its Scottish Gaelic roots to its appearance in ancient Irish chronicles and its association with notable figures throughout history.
People
Duff + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Duff as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Duff: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Duff?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 299 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Duff 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 1,146,336 US residents.
Is Duff a common name?
We classify Duff as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 441 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Duff most popular?
The single biggest year for Duff was 1954, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Duff is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Duff a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Duff 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.