2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Duffiney
A surname of unclear origin, possibly a variant of the French locational name Duffine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Duffiney. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duffiney 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Duffiney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffiney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (9.6%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duffiney
The surname Duffiney is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "dubh" meaning "black" and "fionn" meaning "fair" or "white". This combination of contrasting terms may have been used to describe someone with dark hair and a fair complexion.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Duffiney can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a series of parchment rolls that documented those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England following his invasion of Scotland. The name appears in various spellings such as "Duffenye" and "Dufinye" in these rolls.
The Duffiney surname is also found in several Scottish clan histories and records. One notable figure was Iain Duffiney, a 15th-century clansman who was instrumental in negotiating a truce between the MacDonalds and the MacLeans during their ongoing feud in the Scottish Highlands.
In the 16th century, the name Duffiney can be found in the records of the Burgh of Aberdeen, where a John Duffiney was listed as a merchant and burgess of the town in 1547. This suggests that the name had spread from its Highland origins to the lowlands of Scotland by this time.
Another notable bearer of the Duffiney name was Robert Duffiney, a Scottish soldier who fought in the Jacobite rising of 1745. He was born in 1720 and died in 1789. Records show that he was part of the Jacobite forces that were defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
In the 19th century, the name Duffiney can be found in several literary works, including the writings of Sir Walter Scott. One of the characters in Scott's novel "The Antiquary" is named Jonathan Oldbuck Duffiney, described as a quirky antiquarian and collector of curiosities.
While the Duffiney surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich historical legacy that spans several centuries in Scotland. The name's origins in the Gaelic language and its presence in various clan records and historical documents attest to its deep roots in Scottish heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duffiney
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffiney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (9.6%) and Two or More Races (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Duffiney 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 Duffiney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native9.6% · 11
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duffiney
Duffiney 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+13 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,125 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-19 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +13 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 2,125 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 18,263 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 Duffiney 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 | #127,494 | #145,757 | -14.3% |
| Count | 134 | 115 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duffiney bearers went from 134 to 115 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 18,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,757.
FAQ
Duffiney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duffiney?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Duffiney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Duffiney?
Duffiney ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Duffiney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Duffiney.
Has Duffiney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duffiney went from 134 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Duffiney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duffiney, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (9.6%) and Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Duffiney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duffiney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (9.6%), Two or More Races (7.0%). 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 Duffiney (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 Duffiney mean?
A surname of unclear origin, possibly a variant of the French locational name Duffine. 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 Duffiney (0.04 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 Duffiney?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.