2000
#10,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,862
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Cuff
A metonymic occupational surname for a maker or seller of gloves, mittens, or other hand coverings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,245 Americans carry the last name Cuff. That puts it at #10,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuff 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 Cuff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,625
Census rank
#10,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,830 bearers of the surname Cuff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuff, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuff
The surname Cuff is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cuffe" or "cyffe," which means a fist or a handcuff. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name Cuff was initially used as a descriptive surname, referring to a person's physical characteristic or occupation. It was likely given to someone with a strong, clenched fist or potentially to a maker or seller of handcuffs or similar restraints.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cuff can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire from 1195, where a person named Hugh Cuff is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various historical records, such as the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire from 1279, which mention a Thomas Cuff. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 also list a John Cuff.
A notable early bearer of the surname Cuff was William Cuff, a member of the Parliament of England who represented the borough of Southwark in 1381. He played a role during the Peasants' Revolt of that year.
Another significant figure was Sir John Cuff, a prominent English merchant and politician who lived from 1579 to 1629. He served as the Sheriff of London in 1617 and was knighted by King James I in 1619.
In the 17th century, the name Cuff appeared in various place names, such as Cuff's Corner in Gloucestershire and Cuff's Green in Kent, indicating the presence of families bearing this surname in those areas.
A notable bearer of the name in the 18th century was Maurice Cuff, an Irish politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Kilkenny City from 1761 to 1768.
In the 19th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Cuff was Archibald Cuff, a fictional detective character created by Wilkie Collins in his 1868 novel "The Moonstone." Cuff was one of the earliest examples of a professional detective in English literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuff
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuff, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cuff 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 Cuff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.4% · 1,823
- Black or African American23.2% · 656
- Two or more races7.2% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuff
Cuff 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
#10,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,022
+160 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 283 places
2020
#10,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,830
-192 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,315 | 2,862 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,598 | 3,022 | 1.02 | +160 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 283 places |
| 2020 | #10,766 | 2,830 | 0.95 | -192 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 168 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 Cuff 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 | #10,598 | #10,766 | -1.6% |
| Count | 3,022 | 2,830 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.95 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuff bearers went from 3,022 to 2,830 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,598 to #10,766.
FAQ
Cuff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuff?
Name Census estimates that about 3,245 living Americans carry the surname Cuff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,625 residents.
How common is Cuff?
Cuff ranks #10,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,830 people with the surname Cuff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cuff.
Has Cuff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuff went from 3,022 recorded bearers to 2,830. That is a decrease of 192 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,598 to #10,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuff, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.4%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (7.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cuff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.4% (1,823 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.4%), Black (23.2%), Two or More Races (7.2%). 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 Cuff (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 Cuff mean?
A metonymic occupational surname for a maker or seller of gloves, mittens, or other hand coverings. 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 Cuff (0.95 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 share the surname Cuff?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.