Given name & surname
Ruff
“a red-haired man”
Ruff is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “a red-haired man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “a red-haired man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1926. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ruff through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5
- 5 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1926
- 5 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 5 in 1926. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 14,687 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.
Ruff’s family of names
Ruff has a related form in Rufo. Ruff has a related form in Ruffin. Ruff has a related form in Rufeo.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Ruff, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Roberts
Roberts is a given name from Anglo-Norman. It is used in English and Latvian.
>99% boys
Lamb
Lamb is a surname from Middle English, ultimately from French.
>99% boys
Brevard
Brevard is a surname from French.
>99% boys
Weir
“of the war”
>99% boys
Ray
“a wise protector” · “son of grace”
93% boys · 7% girls
Dorland
Dorland is a surname from Dutch, ultimately from French.
>99% boys
Richmond
“from the wealthy hill” · “a powerful protector”
>99% boys
Rozier
Rozier is a surname from French. It is used in English and French.
>99% boys