NameCensus.

UK surname

Muff

An old German word for a disagreeable or surly person.

In the 1881 census there were 352 people recorded with the Muff surname, ranking it #8,718 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 269, ranked #15,956, down from #8,718 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Birstall, Bradford and Calverley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Muff is 399 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 23.6%.

1881 census count

352

Ranked #8,718

Modern count

269

2016, ranked #15,956

Peak year

1911

399 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Muff had 352 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,718 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 269 in 2016, ranked #15,956.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 399 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Muff surname distribution map

The map shows where the Muff surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Muff surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Muff over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 255 #8,652
1861 historical 312 #8,127
1881 historical 352 #8,718
1891 historical 333 #10,223
1901 historical 393 #9,606
1911 historical 399 #9,298
1997 modern 339 #12,464
1998 modern 333 #12,964
1999 modern 347 #12,696
2000 modern 343 #12,746
2001 modern 333 #12,817
2002 modern 319 #13,448
2003 modern 317 #13,328
2004 modern 318 #13,374
2005 modern 310 #13,518
2006 modern 313 #13,517
2007 modern 315 #13,593
2008 modern 307 #13,907
2009 modern 306 #14,218
2010 modern 305 #14,561
2011 modern 287 #15,044
2012 modern 282 #15,158
2013 modern 282 #15,441
2014 modern 275 #15,831
2015 modern 266 #16,105
2016 modern 269 #15,956

Geography

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Where Muffs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Birstall, Bradford and Calverley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Calverley Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Bradford 061 Bradford
2 Bradford 036 Bradford
3 Bradford 059 Bradford
4 Calderdale 027 Calderdale
5 Kirklees 038 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Muff

These lists show first names that appear often with the Muff surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Muff

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Muff, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Muff surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Muff household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Muff is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Muff is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Muff falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Muff is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 40-50 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

7
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Muff, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Muff

The surname MUFF originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word 'muffe', which referred to a hand covering or mitten. The name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone who wore mittens or gloves.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MUFF can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 12th century. In this text, a individual named Conradus Muffe is mentioned in a land transaction record from the year 1187.

The MUFF surname also appears in various medieval German town records and tax rolls, such as the Stadtbücher von Köln (City Books of Cologne) from the 14th century, which lists several individuals with the name, including Johannes Muffe and Henricus Muffe.

In England, the earliest known bearers of the MUFF surname can be traced back to the 16th century. One notable example is William Muff, a merchant from London who was born in 1542 and served as a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers.

Another prominent figure with the MUFF surname was Sir John Muff, a British naval officer who lived from 1683 to 1757. He played a significant role in several naval battles during the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession.

In the 18th century, the German-born artist Johann Gottfried Muff (1733-1817) gained recognition for his landscape paintings and etchings, many of which depicted scenes from the Swiss Alps.

The MUFF surname can also be found in various place names, such as Muffendorf, a village in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Mufferton, a small hamlet in Somerset, England.

Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the MUFF surname, including the German botanist Georg Gottlieb Muff (1730-1799), the English author and poet Thomas Muff (1785-1854), and the American politician and lawyer Benjamin Muff (1822-1901).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Muff families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Muff surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 335 Muffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.85x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 335 9.85x
Essex 6 0.89x
Middlesex 5 0.15x
Cheshire 4 0.53x
Northumberland 1 0.20x
Surrey 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bowling in Yorkshire leads with 58 Muffs recorded in 1881 and an index of 172.11x.

Place Total Index
Bowling 58 172.11x
Bradford 46 55.85x
Horton In Bradford 27 50.82x
Hunsworth 25 1396.65x
Drighlington 23 463.71x
North Bierley 23 125.20x
Leeds 18 9.37x
Tong 13 197.87x
Pudsey 11 60.47x
Manningham 8 19.08x
Bramley In Bramley 7 53.76x
Huddersfield 7 14.12x
Ilkley 7 125.90x
Liversedge 7 46.20x
Gomersal 6 37.78x
West Ham 6 4.01x
Armley 5 33.31x
Elland Cum Greetland 5 32.62x
Kirkheaton 5 90.58x
Wortley In Bramley 5 18.55x
Gawsworth 4 579.71x
Islington London 4 1.20x
Beverley St Nicholas 3 107.53x
Bolton In Bradford 3 137.61x
Halifax 3 6.01x
Holy Trinity 3 3.67x
Sheffield 3 2.77x
York St Giles In 3 93.46x
Baildon 2 31.20x
Clayton 2 24.01x
Eccleshill 2 24.15x
Wakefield 2 7.66x
Beverley St Mary 1 20.12x
East Ardsley 1 33.90x
Epsom 1 12.27x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 3.78x
Sculcoates 1 1.85x
Westminster St James 1 2.83x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Muff surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 24
Sarah 20
Ann 12
Hannah 11
Elizabeth 9
Martha 9
Emma 7
Annie 6
Jane 6
Eliza 4
Frances 4
Ruth 4
Ada 3
Edith 3
Judith 3
Rebecca 3
Rose 3
Betty 2
Ellen 2
Emily 2
Isabella 2
Lucy 2
Margaret 2
Marth 2
Rhoda 2
Augusta 1
Berthia 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Clare 1
Dinah 1
Edie 1
Elizebeth 1
Elizh. 1
Emuline 1
Florance 1
Florence 1
Francis 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Henrietta 1
Laura 1
Maud 1
Maude 1
May 1
Minni 1
Rosanna 1
Sabena 1
Violet 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Muff surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 24
William 14
James 10
Arthur 7
Henry 7
Joseph 7
George 6
Samuel 6
Albert 5
Alfred 5
Frank 5
Harry 5
Isaac 5
Tom 5
Charles 4
Herbert 4
Thomas 4
Walter 4
Fred 3
Bentley 2
Ernest 2
Frederick 2
Jno. 2
Robert 2
Sam 2
Asa 1
Ben 1
Chas.A. 1
Chas.J. 1
Ebeneezer 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Enos 1
Ephraim 1
Francis 1
Frederic 1
Joe 1
Lister 1
Major 1
Mark 1
Mary 1
Orlando 1
Peter 1
Ralf 1
Richard 1
Roland 1
Squire 1
Terry 1
Thornton 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Muff surname: questions and answers

How common was the Muff surname in 1881?

In 1881, 352 people were recorded with the Muff surname. That placed it at #8,718 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Muff surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 269 in 2016. That gives Muff a modern rank of #15,956.

What does the Muff surname mean?

An old German word for a disagreeable or surly person.

What does the Muff map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Muff bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.