Explore the Family Name Cuffee
The meaning of Cuffee
1. African American: from an Anglicized form of the Akan male personal name Kofi, denoting a boy born on Friday (see Koffi). It is also found in Liberia, but it is rare there. Compare Coffie, Cuff, Cuffe, and Cuffy. 2. Irish: variant of Cuffe. History: Paul Cuffee (1759–1817; originally Cuffe), a sea captain, whaler, and abolitionist, was born in MA to Cuff Slocum, a freedman of Akan (Ashanti) origin, and to a Native American mother. He and several of his siblings decided to use a variant of their father’s Anglicized personal name Cuff as a surname (instead of Slocum, which their father adopted from his former owner).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Cuffee in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Cuffee has seen a moderate increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the name was ranked 16,652 in terms of prevalence, but by 2010, it had moved up to rank 15,938; showing a rise of 4.29%. Moreover, the number of individuals carrying this surname also surged by 15.09%, going from 1584 people in 2000 to 1823 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of people named Cuffee per 100,000 population has also grown slightly, moving from 0.59 to 0.62.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,652 | #15,938 | 4.29% |
| Count | 1,584 | 1,823 | 15.09% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.59 | 0.62 | 5.08% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cuffee
When it comes to the ethnic identity associated with the surname Cuffee, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that there were significant changes between 2000 and 2010. The most notable shift was an over 107% increase in Hispanic individuals carrying this surname, despite them still making up a relatively small portion of the total. There was also a significant boost in the Asian/Pacific Islander category, which rose by more than 94%. People identifying as White with this surname also increased by 13.08%. However, the surname saw a slight decrease within the Black community, dropping by 2.15%, and in those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native or those claiming two or more races, where it fell by 7.92% and 7.06% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 88.57% | 86.67% | -2.15% |
| White | 5.43% | 6.14% | 13.08% |
| Two or More Races | 3.54% | 3.29% | -7.06% |
| Hispanic | 0.95% | 1.97% | 107.37% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.51% | 0.99% | 94.12% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.01% | 0.93% | -7.92% |