Explore the Family Name Duff
The meaning of Duff
1. 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 1). 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. 2. In some cases possibly also a shortened form of Breton Le Duff, a cognate of 1 above.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Duff in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Duff" has seen a slight decrease in popularity over the years. In 2000, the surname was ranked 2058 and by 2010 it had dropped to 2202, reflecting a 7% decrease in rank. On the contrary, the count of individuals with the last name increased by approximately 2.59%, from 16,119 in 2000 to 16,536 in 2010. However, when considering the population per 100,000 people, there was a decrease of 6.19%, moving from 5.98 in 2000 to 5.61 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,058 | #2,202 | -7% |
| Count | 16,119 | 16,536 | 2.59% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.98 | 5.61 | -6.19% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Duff
The ethnic identity associated with the Duff surname has also experienced changes as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. Though the majority identified as White at 87.34% in 2000 and 86.15% in 2010, there was a slight decrease of 1.36% over the decade. Meanwhile, those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant increase of 37.34%, albeit still a small proportion of the total at 2.17%. Both Black and Asian/Pacific Islander identities also marked an increase of 4.18% and 40.74% respectively. The smallest group, American Indian and Alaskan Native, showed a minor increase of 2.78%. It is important to note that these percentages represent the proportion of people with the surname Duff who identify with each ethnic category, not the proportion of each ethnic group in the general population.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 87.34% | 86.15% | -1.36% |
| Black | 8.62% | 8.98% | 4.18% |
| Hispanic | 1.58% | 2.17% | 37.34% |
| Two or More Races | 1.56% | 1.58% | 1.28% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.54% | 0.76% | 40.74% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.36% | 0.37% | 2.78% |
Duff ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Duff is British & Irish, which comprises 57.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.9%) and Eastern European (3.6%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Nigerian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 57.4% |
| French & German | 20.9% |
| Eastern European | 3.6% |
| Other | 18.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Duff
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Duff have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 86.10% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 86.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 85.60% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
What Duff haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Duff is R-L21, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L21 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L45 and R-Z255, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Burns, Murphy, Walsh, Black, Kelly, Cullen, Obrien, Kelley, Hughes, Connor.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Duff surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Duff have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Duff" Surname 41.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Duff" Surname 22.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Duff" Surname 18.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Cat Allergy
An allergic reaction to cats, characterized by symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and difficulty breathing.
"Duff" Surname 37.3%
23andMe Users 36.7%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Duff?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Duff are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition