2000
#30,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 726
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Tuff
A surname derived from the Old English word "tuf" meaning a clump or tuft of grass, weeds, or bushes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 930 Americans carry the last name Tuff. That puts it at #30,753 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 368,553 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tuff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Tuff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
930
1 in 368,553
Census rank
#30,753
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
811
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 811 bearers of the surname Tuff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30753rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuff, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.4%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tuff
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuff, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.4%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tuff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Tuff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.4% · 409
- White38.2% · 310
- Two or more races6.0% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tuff
Tuff appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#30,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 781
+55 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 340 places
2020
#30,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 811
+30 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 710 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,383 | 726 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,043 | 781 | 0.26 | +55 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 340 places |
| 2020 | #30,753 | 811 | 0.27 | +30 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 710 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Tuff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #30,043 | #30,753 | -2.4% |
| Count | 781 | 811 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.27 | 4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tuff bearers went from 781 to 811 (+3.8% change). The surname moved down 710 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,043 to #30,753.
FAQ
Tuff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tuff?
Name Census estimates that about 930 living Americans carry the surname Tuff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 368,553 residents.
How common is Tuff?
Tuff ranks #30,753 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 811 people with the surname Tuff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (930), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tuff.
Has Tuff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tuff went from 781 recorded bearers to 811. That is an increase of 30 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,043 to #30,753.
What does the Census say about the background of Tuff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuff, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.4%. The next largest groups are White (38.2%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tuff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.4% (409 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tuff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.4%), White (38.2%), Two or More Races (6.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Tuff (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Tuff mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word "tuf" meaning a clump or tuft of grass, weeds, or bushes. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Tuff (0.27 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Tuff?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Tuff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.