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

Muff, 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 Muff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Muff in America

Muff is the 22838th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Muff surname appeared 1,121 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 Muff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Muff 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 Muff

The surname MUFF originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word 'muffe', which referred to a hand covering or mitten. The name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who wore mittens or gloves.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MUFF can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 12th century. In this text, a individual named Conradus Muffe is mentioned in a land transaction record from the year 1187.

The MUFF surname also appears in various medieval German town records and tax rolls, such as the Stadtbücher von Köln (City Books of Cologne) from the 14th century, which lists several individuals with the name, including Johannes Muffe and Henricus Muffe.

In England, the earliest known bearers of the MUFF surname can be traced back to the 16th century. One notable example is William Muff, a merchant from London who was born in 1542 and served as a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers.

Another prominent figure with the MUFF surname was Sir John Muff, a British naval officer who lived from 1683 to 1757. He played a significant role in several naval battles during the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession.

In the 18th century, the German-born artist Johann Gottfried Muff (1733-1817) gained recognition for his landscape paintings and etchings, many of which depicted scenes from the Swiss Alps.

The MUFF surname can also be found in various place names, such as Muffendorf, a village in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Mufferton, a small hamlet in Somerset, England.

Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the MUFF surname, including the German botanist Georg Gottlieb Muff (1730-1799), the English author and poet Thomas Muff (1785-1854), and the American politician and lawyer Benjamin Muff (1822-1901).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Muff

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

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

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

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