Given name & surname
Buff
“my God is bountiful”
Buff is a variant of Buffy. In English use, Buffy carries the interpretation “my God is bountiful.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Buff is a variant of Buffy. In English use, Buffy carries the interpretation “my God is bountiful.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Buff connects to the Elizabeth name family through Buffy. Elizabeth is the usual English spelling of Elisabeth. The related biblical forms connect it with the Hebrew name Elisheba, borne by Aaron’s wife.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
Buff connects to the Elizabeth name family through Buffy. The shared background comes through Elizabeth: English generally uses Elizabeth with a z, where many European languages retain Elisabeth with an s. Elisabeth is connected with Elisheba; its final element may have been reshaped through association with Hebrew shabbath, “sabbath.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1952. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Buff connects to the Elizabeth name family through Buffy. The history of Elizabeth gives this family its wider story. The New Testament Elisabeth is the mother of John the Baptist. English royal associations include Elizabeth I and, in the twentieth century, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon and her daughter Elizabeth II. Elizabeth’s familiar forms developed along several paths, including Eliza, Beth, Bess, Betty, Libby and Lizzie.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Buff through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 78
- 31 boys · 47 girls
- Most popular year
- 1955
- 22 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 7 in 1961. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 157 as a first name in 2020; 2,368 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Buff’s family of names
Buff has a related form in Buffy. In German usage, Buff as a surname has a related form in Büffel.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Buff, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Bep
“God is my oath” · “My God is bountiful”
20% boys · 80% girls
Betuška
“God is my oath” · “My God is bountiful”
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Lies
“God is my oath” · “My God is bountiful”
21% boys · 79% girls
Hagup
“he who supplants”
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Kathun
“a gift from God”
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Kaythun
“a gift from God”
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Lemyuel
“devoted to God” · “one who belongs to God”
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Xary
“princess; lady”
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