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

Paff, 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 Paff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Paff in America

Paff is the 24388th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Paff surname appeared 1,027 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 Paff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Paff 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 Paff

The surname PAFF is believed to have originated from the German states, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It may derive from the Middle High German word "paffe," meaning a priest or clergyman. Alternatively, it could come from a place name like Paffendorf or Paffenhofen, which were towns in what is now Germany.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name PAFF can be found in the church records of the town of Marburg, Germany, from the year 1634, where a Johann PAFF is listed as a resident. There are also records of a family with the surname PAFF living in the village of Kirchhain, near Marburg, in the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name PAFF appears in various German records and documents, such as the baptismal records of St. Peter's Church in Berlin from 1725, where a child named Anna Maria PAFF was baptized. Another notable mention is in the military records of the Prussian Army, where a soldier named Friedrich PAFF served during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname PAFF was Hans PAFF, a German poet and writer who lived from 1542 to 1612. He is best known for his collection of satirical poems and plays, which were published in the late 16th century.

Another notable PAFF was Johann Christoph PAFF, a German historian and theologian who lived from 1677 to 1745. He wrote several works on the history of the Reformation and the Protestant Church in Germany.

In the 19th century, the name PAFF can be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. One interesting example is Karl PAFF, a German businessman and industrialist who lived from 1818 to 1892. He founded the Paff & Co. textile company, which became one of the largest manufacturers of textiles in Germany at the time.

Another prominent individual with the surname PAFF was Max PAFF, a German painter and illustrator who lived from 1870 to 1932. He was known for his landscapes and illustrations of fairy tales and folk stories.

Finally, a notable PAFF from the early 20th century was Richard PAFF, a German-American scientist and inventor who lived from 1884 to 1962. He made significant contributions to the development of early television technology and held several patents related to television receivers and transmitters.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Paff

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

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

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

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