From Ó Duibh, ‘descendant of Dubh’ — dubh, black or dark, and not the same name as Duffy.
The Duff certificate.
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Gaelic Origin · Root meaning ‘black, dark’
Duff comes from Ó Duibh, ‘descendant of Dubh’, and in some families from Mac Duibh or Mac Giolla Duibh. The root is dubh, ‘black’ or ‘dark’, first given as a nickname for colouring. It is worth saying plainly that Duff is not a shortened Duffy: that name is Ó Dubhthaigh, a different original that only sounds close.
Two names from the same dark root, kept apart for eight centuries by nothing more than a syllable.
Irish form: Ó Duibh
