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

Jaff, 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 Jaff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jaff in America

Jaff is the 110825th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jaff surname appeared 159 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 Jaff.

The history of the last name Jaff

The surname JAFF is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages in the region of Normandy, France. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the French surname Jaffé, which itself is derived from the Old French personal name Jaffred or Geffrei, meaning "peaceful traveler" or "pilgrim."

In the 11th century, records show the name appearing in various forms such as Jaffé, Jaffi, and Jaffe in Normandy. It is possible that the surname was brought to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name is recorded as Jaffé, belonging to a landowner in the county of Suffolk.

By the 13th century, the surname had spread across England, and variations like Jaff and Jaffe began to appear in historical records. In 1273, a Robert Jaffe is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire.

Notable individuals with the surname JAFF throughout history include Sir William Jaff (1520-1597), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Samuel Jaff (1680-1742), a merchant and philanthropist in Colonial America who helped establish the first public library in Philadelphia.

In the 19th century, James Jaff (1812-1884) was a Scottish inventor credited with developing an early form of the typewriter. Across the Atlantic, Elizabeth Jaff (1826-1901) was a notable American educator and advocate for women's rights.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname was the British author and playwright Somerset Jaff (1875-1965), whose works include the novels "The Unbearable Bassington" and "Decline and Fall."

While the surname JAFF has undergone various spellings over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the Normandy region of France, where it emerged as a derivative of an Old French personal name signifying a peaceful traveler or pilgrim.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jaff

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

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 Jaff 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.

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

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

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