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

Luff, 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 Luff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Luff in America

Luff is the 18378th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Luff surname appeared 1,507 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 Luff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Luff 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 Luff

The surname Luff originated in England, deriving from the Old English word 'lof' or 'lofe', which meant the palm of the hand. It referred to a person with large or strong hands, potentially a characteristic associated with someone skilled in a particular craft or trade.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, the name appears as 'Loua' and 'Lof'. This early spelling variation highlights the surname's ancient roots.

One of the earliest documented instances of the Luff surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a man named William Luf is recorded. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, listing a John Luff.

The Luff surname is closely connected to the village of Luffenham in Rutland, England. It's believed that some Luffs may have derived their name from this place, which itself derives from the Old English words 'lufu' meaning 'love' and 'ham' meaning 'home' or 'settlement'.

Notable historical figures bearing the Luff surname include William Luff (1612-1688), an English Puritan clergyman and author. Another prominent Luff was John Luff (1789-1858), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Vice Admiral.

In the 16th century, Thomas Luff (1505-1556) was a Member of Parliament for Reigate in Surrey, England. During the English Civil War, Captain John Luff (1601-1676) fought for the Parliamentarian cause and was present at the Siege of Colchester in 1648.

Edward Luff (1860-1919) was a renowned English cricket player who represented Middlesex and played first-class cricket from 1881 to 1904. He was also a respected cricket administrator and served as the Secretary of Middlesex County Cricket Club.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Luff

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

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

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

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