Poff
A rare surname whose exact origin is uncertain, but which may be tied to a medieval English personal name or nickname.
The #6,725 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,491 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Poff is obscure and not securely explained. One historical citation records an Adam Poff in Yorkshire in the late 14th century, which shows the name was in use in medieval England, but does not by itself reveal its source. Later surname writers mention it only in passing, and no single derivation has gained clear acceptance. It may preserve an old nickname, a reduced form of a personal name, or a local variant spelling that later became fixed as a surname.
History
The surname is documented in medieval England, at least in Yorkshire by the 1300s. It remained uncommon, and later evidence suggests it survived as a minor English surname rather than becoming widespread. In modern times it is still relatively rare, with most bearers in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 14th-century Yorkshire record shows the name in use centuries before modern spelling was standardized.
From the historical record
“UarKanta F<>gEe, 1379 : P. T. Yorki. Adam Poff^ 1379 : imd. p. 106. 1377. Huriol — Robert forge and Agnes Camden : St. AnthoIlD <L«id<xi), iSifc. Marrfcd— Richard Scrooke ■!._”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances