Duf as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Duf

What is the meaning of the name Duf ?

The baby name Duf is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced duf (IPA: /dʌf/).

Duf is Irish (Gaelic), Scottish in Origin.

Duf is a rare streamlined form of the Scottish name Duff, from Gaelic dubh “dark, black,” once used as a descriptive byname for a dark‑haired or dark‑complexioned person. The element dubh appears widely in early Gaelic personal names - think Dubhán, Dubhthach - and later produced surnames and clan names.

As a given name, Duff surfaces in Scotland and Ireland from medieval records via bynames, gaining modern currency through surname‑as‑first‑name trends in the 19th–20th centuries (e.g., statesman Duff Cooper). Duf, with a single f, is a contemporary respelling that keeps the same sound (DUHF) but reads sleeker. Related forms and variants include Duff, Duffy (Anglicized from Ó Dubhthaigh), MacDuff as a cognate surname, and the Gaelic base Dubh. The meaning centers on “dark” or “the dark‑haired one.” Usage remains uncommon, lending Duf a distinctive, minimalist profile.

⚙ Duf is about as rare as a name gets. In all, it appears just 26 times, across 15 countries.