Find out how popular the last name Cuffie is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cuffie.

Cuffie, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cuffie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cuffie in America

Cuffie is the 27678th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cuffie surname appeared 869 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cuffie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cuffie to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cuffie

The surname CUFFIE is believed to have originated in the West Indies during the era of European colonization and the transatlantic slave trade. It is thought to be an anglicized version of the African name Koffi or Kofi, which is derived from the Akan language spoken in parts of Ghana and Ivory Coast.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the CUFFIE surname dates back to the late 17th century in Jamaica, where it appeared in historical records of enslaved Africans brought to the island by British and Dutch colonists. The name may have been a phonetic adaptation of Koffi by English-speaking slave owners or officials responsible for record-keeping.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the CUFFIE surname began to appear in various Caribbean islands, including Barbados, Antigua, and Trinidad. This spread is likely due to the internal migration and forced relocation of enslaved Africans throughout the British West Indies.

One notable early bearer of the CUFFIE surname was Cuffy, also known as Kofi or Cuffy of Itu, a prominent leader of the Berbice Slave Uprising in Dutch Guiana (now Guyana) in 1763. This uprising, which sought to overthrow the Dutch colonial regime, was ultimately suppressed, and Cuffy was executed in 1767.

Another historical figure with the CUFFIE surname was Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa (c. 1745-1797), a prominent African abolitionist and writer. Although born in present-day Nigeria with the name Olaudah, he was given the surname Equiano by his enslavers and later adopted the additional name Gustavus Vassa.

In the 19th century, the CUFFIE surname began to appear in various Caribbean literature and historical documents, such as the works of Jamaican-born author and activist Mary Seacole (1805-1881) and Trinidadian author and historian Michael Anthony Cuffie (1923-2005).

Other notable individuals with the CUFFIE surname include:

1. Wilfred Cuffie (1911-1991), a Trinidadian politician and trade unionist.
2. Lynette Cuffie-Dolly (born 1962), a Trinidadian educator and politician.
3. Pamela Cuffie (born 1958), a Trinidadian-Canadian artist and sculptor.
4. Verna Cuffie (1922-2007), a Trinidadian singer and musician.
5. Kojo Cuffie (born 1968), a Ghanaian-American fashion designer.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cuffie

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cuffie.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cuffie was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cuffie has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cuffie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cuffie, please contact us.

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