The baby name Neff is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /nɛf/ (NEF — rhymes with 'chef').
The baby name Neff is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /nɛf/ (NEF — rhymes with 'chef').
Neff is Dutch, German in Origin.
Neff is a surname-turned-given name of German and Swiss origin, derived from Middle High German neve/neffe “nephew,” a term for a younger kinsman or descendant. The root traces through Old High German nevo and Proto-Germanic nefa to the Proto-Indo-European base nepots, shared with Latin nepos. In Low German and Dutch the cognate is neef, reinforcing the core sense of close kinship.
As a personal name, Neff appears in Anglophone records largely from the United States, where families transferred the surname, common among immigrants from German-speaking regions in the 18th and 19th centuries, into given-name use. It remains rare and feels lean and modern, typically masculine but usable as unisex. Documented variants and related spellings include Neef (Dutch/Low German), Neffe (German), Nef and Neeff (German/Swiss). Short form Nef is occasionally seen. The meaning centers on “nephew, relative,” evoking lineage and familial bonds.
Neff is an uncommon pick. Across 28 countries, we found 88 recorded uses of it.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BN | 0 | #32 | 1 | 2,297 | |
| BN | Boys | 0 | #136 | 4 | 6,332 |
| HU | Boys | 0 | #174 | 1 | 3,954 |
| MO | Boys | 0 | #234 | 1 | 5,842 |
| EC | Boys | 0 | #246 | 1 | 3,322 |
| AO | Boys | 0 | #249 | 1 | 5,568 |
| PE | 0 | #329 | 1 | 6,350 | |
| JO | Girls | 0 | #339 | 1 | 7,570 |
| QA | Girls | 0 | #343 | 1 | 15,378 |
| CZ | Girls | 0 | #351 | 1 | 5,378 |
| GH | Boys | 0 | #361 | 1 | 8,138 |
| GT | Boys | 0 | #498 | 2 | 7,625 |
| CR | Boys | 0 | #509 | 2 | 10,188 |
| CO | 0 | #510 | 1 | 7,768 | |
| IR | Girls | 0 | #545 | 1 | 8,334 |
| LY | 0 | #559 | 1 | 12,703 | |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #573 | 1 | 11,342 |
| CM | Boys | 0 | #575 | 1 | 12,054 |
| BO | Boys | 0 | #622 | 1 | 9,244 |
| IQ | Boys | 0 | #697 | 1 | 13,071 |
| CL | Boys | 0 | #700 | 1 | 13,390 |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #743 | 1 | 18,093 |
| BR | Boys | 0 | #785 | 1 | 12,213 |
| PE | Boys | 0 | #922 | 5 | 14,506 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #959 | 24 | 16,355 |
| CO | Boys | 0 | #978 | 4 | 15,656 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #1,001 | 1 | 16,906 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #1,012 | 3 | 25,931 |
| IN | Boys | 0 | #1,039 | 1 | 16,750 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #1,071 | 2 | 24,821 |
| CO | Girls | 0 | #1,152 | 1 | 16,140 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,178 | 5 | 25,439 |
| MA | 0 | #1,198 | 2 | 20,986 | |
| DZ | 0 | #1,234 | 1 | 20,130 | |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,236 | 1 | 25,928 |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,264 | 4 | 17,781 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,270 | 3 | 25,619 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,689 | 3 | 28,008 |
Neff is popular in 28 countries — most recent births per country:
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