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

Tuff, 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 Tuff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tuff in America

Tuff is the 30043rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tuff surname appeared 781 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 Tuff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tuff 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 Tuff

The surname Tuff has its origins in England and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "tuf," meaning a clump or tuft, potentially referring to someone who lived near a distinctive tuft of vegetation or a particular landform.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1195, where a person named Radulfus Tuff is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Tufft, Tuffe, and Tuft, indicating slight variations in spelling. For instance, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 mentions a certain William Tufft.

The Tuff surname is also linked to several place names in England, including Tuft Farm in Berkshire and Tuft Hill in Somerset. These place names may have influenced the adoption of the surname by families residing in those areas.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Tuff surname. One such figure was Sir John Tuff, a prominent English merchant and politician who lived in the 15th century (c. 1410-1489). He served as the Sheriff of London in 1472 and was a Member of Parliament for the City of London.

Another notable Tuff was Thomas Tuff (c. 1554-1624), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1613 to 1617.

In the 17th century, Edward Tuff (1619-1676) was a renowned English mathematician and astronomer. He contributed significantly to the development of logarithmic tables and published several works on mathematics and astronomy.

The Tuff surname also has connections to the arts. Robert Tuff (1822-1891) was a prominent English painter and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and illustrations of works by authors like Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray.

Lastly, Sir William Tuff (1859-1942) was a distinguished British engineer and industrialist. He played a crucial role in the development of the automotive industry and was knighted for his contributions in 1918.

While these are just a few examples, the Tuff surname has a rich history spanning centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, academics, artists, and industrialists.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tuff

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!