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

Duffin, 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 Duffin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Duffin in America

Duffin is the 11493rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Duffin surname appeared 2,738 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Duffin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Duffin 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 Duffin

The surname Duffin has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "duffeld," which means "dove field" or "dove meadow." This suggests that the name may have originally been a place name referring to a location where doves were abundant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Duffin can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of documents that recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Duffeld," indicating its close connection to the original Old English term.

In the 14th century, the name Duffin began to appear in various Scottish records, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland. One notable individual from this period was Robert Duffin, a landowner in Ayrshire who was mentioned in documents from the late 1300s.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Duffin continued to be found in Scottish records, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire. One prominent figure from this era was John Duffin, a Presbyterian minister who lived in Ayrshire in the mid-17th century and was known for his strong opposition to the religious policies of King Charles II.

As the Duffin family expanded and migrated to other parts of the British Isles and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Duffine, Duffyn, and Duffen. One notable individual from this period was William Duffin, an English architect who lived in the late 18th century and designed several churches and public buildings in London.

In the 19th century, the name Duffin continued to be found in various parts of the United Kingdom, as well as in North America and other regions where Scottish immigrants had settled. One notable figure from this period was James Duffin, a Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the late 1800s.

Other notable individuals with the surname Duffin include Robert Duffin, an American mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of harmonic analysis in the 20th century, and Mona Duffin, a British author and illustrator of children's books who was active in the latter half of the 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Duffin

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

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 Duffin 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 Duffin 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 Duffin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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