2000
#2,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.98
Uncommon Last name
Duff
A Scottish and northern Irish surname derived from the Gaelic dubh, meaning "dark" or "swarthy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,551 Americans carry the last name Duff. That puts it at #2,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Duff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,476
Census rank
#2,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,177 bearers of the surname Duff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duff, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duff
The surname Duff is of Scottish origin, with roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic term "dubh," meaning "black" or "dark-haired." This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone with dark features.
Historically, the Duff name is associated with the Clan Duff, a Scottish clan from the northeastern regions of Banffshire and Moray. The earliest documented reference to the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Duff name was Sir Michael Duff, who lived in the late 13th century and was a prominent figure in the Scottish Wars of Independence. Another notable early Duff was Andrew Duff, a prominent clergyman born in 1550 who served as the Bishop of Galloway.
The Duff surname has also been linked to various place names in Scotland, such as Dufftown in Banffshire and Duffus in Moray. These locations may have influenced the spelling variations of the name over time, including Duffe, Duffis, and Duffus.
In the 15th century, the Duff family rose to prominence with the establishment of the Earldom of Fife. One of the most renowned members of the family was William Duff, who was born in 1696 and became the first Earl of Fife. He played a significant role in the Jacobite Risings and was a loyal supporter of the House of Hanover.
Another notable Duff was James Duff, born in 1776, a Scottish writer and philosopher who was influential in the Scottish Enlightenment. He is best known for his work "Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man."
Moving forward to the 19th century, we find William Duff, born in 1788, a Scottish missionary who played a vital role in the spread of Christianity in India. He founded the Church of Scotland's mission in Calcutta and was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions.
In the 20th century, Alistair Duff, born in 1915, was a notable British actor who had a successful career on stage and screen, appearing in numerous films and television shows.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Duff, highlighting its rich Scottish heritage and the diverse contributions of those who carry this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duff
Among Census respondents with the surname Duff, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Duff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Duff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 13,326
- Black or African American9.0% · 1,460
- Two or more races4.1% · 662
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 532
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 142
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duff
Duff appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,536
+417 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 5.61
Rank movement Down 144 places
2020
#2,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,177
-359 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 5.41
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,058 | 16,119 | 5.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,202 | 16,536 | 5.61 | +417 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 144 places |
| 2020 | #2,198 | 16,177 | 5.41 | -359 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 4 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Duff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,202 | #2,198 | 0.2% |
| Count | 16,536 | 16,177 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.61 | 5.41 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duff bearers went from 16,536 to 16,177 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,202 to #2,198.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Duff
FAQ
Duff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duff?
Name Census estimates that about 18,551 living Americans carry the surname Duff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,476 residents.
How common is Duff?
Duff ranks #2,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,177 people with the surname Duff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,551), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Duff.
Has Duff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duff went from 16,536 recorded bearers to 16,177. That is a decrease of 359 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,202 to #2,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Duff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duff, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Duff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (13,326 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Duff (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Duff mean?
A Scottish and northern Irish surname derived from the Gaelic dubh, meaning "dark" or "swarthy." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Duff (5.41 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Duff?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Duff, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.