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Duff Family History

Duff Name Meaning

Irish and Scottish: from Gaelic dubh ‘dark black’ used both as a nickname and a personal name. In Scotland it is typically a descriptive epithet for a dark-haired man (compare Dow ). In Ireland it is usually from Ó Duibh ‘descendant of Dubh’ or Mac Giolla Duibh ‘son of the servant of Dubh’. It is also found as a short form of Duffin and a variant of Duffy . See also McDuff . In some cases possibly also a shortened form of Breton Le Duff a cognate of 1 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Duffy, Cuff, Huff, Luff, Buff, Duke, Puff, Ruffo, Duffer, Duer

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Duff family from?

You can see how Duff families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Duff family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Duff families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 325 Duff families living in London. This was about 20% of all the recorded Duff's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Duff families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Duff surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Duff ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Duff. 9% of Duff men worked as a General Labourer and 70% of Duff women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Duff were General Labourer Heavy Worker and Unpaid Domestic. .

View Census Data for Duff | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    9%
  • Incapacitated
    5%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • General Labourer Heavy Worker
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    70%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Duff family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 189,000 census records available for the last name Duff. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Duff census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Duff

Passenger Lists

There are 34,000 immigration records available for the last name Duff. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 29,000 military records available for the last name Duff. For the veterans among your Duff ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Duff lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Duff life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Duff in 1942 was 30, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Duff

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