Explore the Family Name Staff

The meaning of Staff

1. English (Norfolk and Suffolk): from Middle English staf ‘rod, staff, stave’ (Old English stæf), used as a nickname either for a tall, thin person, someone who made staves, or for anyone who carried a staff of office. 2. Norwegian: habitational name from the farm name Stav, from Old Norse stafr, see Stava.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Staff in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname 'Staff' has seen an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname improved from 16,184 to 14,191, marking a 12.31% increase. In terms of count, the number of people with 'Staff' as their surname rose from 1,642 to 2,116, representing a significant growth of 28.87%. This data also shows that the proportion of individuals with this name per 100k population increased by 18.03%.

20002010Change
Rank#16,184#14,19112.31%
Count1,6422,11628.87%
Proportion per 100k0.610.7218.03%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Staff

On the matter of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some changes over the decade. While the percentage of people with the surname 'Staff' identifying as White decreased slightly from 92.02% to 90.88%, the Hispanic ethnicity saw a notable growth of 55.41%, increasing from 2.31% to 3.59%. Furthermore, the portion of the 'Staff' surname holders who identify with two or more races also grew from 0.79% to 0.99%. However, those who identify as Black saw a decrease of 16.89%, falling from 4.38% to 3.64%. Interestingly, there were no recorded instances of this surname among the Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities in 2000, but by 2010, these groups accounted for 0.52% and 0.38% respectively.

20002010Change
White92.02%90.88%-1.24%
Black4.38%3.64%-16.89%
Hispanic2.31%3.59%55.41%
Two or More Races0.79%0.99%25.32%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.52%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.38%0%