2000
#11,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,538
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Duffin
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Dubháin, meaning "descendant of Dubhán" (a personal name meaning "little dark one").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,772 Americans carry the last name Duffin. That puts it at #12,291 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,649 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duffin 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 Duffin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,649
Census rank
#12,291
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,417 bearers of the surname Duffin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12291st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffin, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duffin
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffin, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Duffin 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 Duffin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 2,024
- Black or African American10.3% · 250
- Two or more races2.6% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duffin
Duffin 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
#11,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,738
+200 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 108 places
2020
#12,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,417
-321 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 798 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,385 | 2,538 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,493 | 2,738 | 0.93 | +200 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 108 places |
| 2020 | #12,291 | 2,417 | 0.81 | -321 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 798 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 Duffin 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 | #11,493 | #12,291 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,738 | 2,417 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.81 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duffin bearers went from 2,738 to 2,417 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 798 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,493 to #12,291.
FAQ
Duffin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duffin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,772 living Americans carry the surname Duffin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,649 residents.
How common is Duffin?
Duffin ranks #12,291 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,417 people with the surname Duffin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,772), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Duffin.
Has Duffin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duffin went from 2,738 recorded bearers to 2,417. That is a decrease of 321 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,493 to #12,291.
What does the Census say about the background of Duffin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffin, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Duffin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (2,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duffin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Duffin (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 Duffin mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic Ó Dubháin, meaning "descendant of Dubhán" (a personal name meaning "little dark one"). 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 Duffin (0.81 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 share the surname Duffin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.