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

Duffus, 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 Duffus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Duffus in America

Duffus is the 31960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Duffus surname appeared 722 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 Duffus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Duffus 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 Duffus

The surname Duffus originated in Scotland, deriving from the lands of Duffus in Moray, near Elgin. It is a habitation name, meaning it originated from a place name where the first bearers lived or came from. The name is thought to derive from the Gaelic dùbh and uis, meaning "dark stream" or "black water".

The earliest recorded mention of the name Duffus is in the 12th century, with the lands of Duffus appearing in royal charters granted by King David I of Scotland. The family that took their name from these lands, the Duffus clan, held considerable power and influence in the area for centuries.

In the 13th century, a notable member of the Duffus clan was Walter de Duffus, who was a witness to a charter granted by King Alexander II in 1238. Another early recorded instance of the name is in the 1296 Ragman Rolls, which list John de Duffus as a landowner who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.

The Duffus family continued to play a prominent role in Scottish history throughout the medieval and Renaissance periods. One particularly notable figure was Andrew Duffus, who served as Bishop of Moray from 1455 to 1460.

As the name spread beyond its original territory, variations in spelling emerged, such as Duffus, Duffies, and Duffy. In the 17th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Sir Patrick Duffus, a Scottish judge and lawyer who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1658 to 1659.

Other notable individuals throughout history with the surname Duffus include:

1. James Duffus, a Scottish painter and engraver active in the late 18th century.
2. Robert Duffus, a Scottish-born Canadian merchant and politician who lived from 1786 to 1847.
3. Thomas Duffus, a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council in the late 19th century.
4. Robert Luther Duffus, an American journalist and author who lived from 1888 to 1972.
5. Samuel Duffus, a Scottish-born Australian educator and headmaster who lived from 1857 to 1939.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Duffus

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

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

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

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