MacDuff Surname
Approximately 1,759 people bear this surname
MacDuff Surname Definition:
(1) Macduff, 'Thane of Fife,' 'a half or wholly mythical personage,' was really a creation of Fordun, and his story was embellished by Wyntoun, Boece, and Buchanan. Of his existence there is not a particle of proof. Had such a person existed some record of him would surely be found in RPSA.
Read More About This SurnameMacDuff Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 687 | 1:527,597 | 43,954 |
| Canada | 527 | 1:69,916 | 8,014 |
| Scotland | 168 | 1:31,868 | 3,219 |
| England | 158 | 1:352,646 | 25,413 |
| New Zealand | 51 | 1:88,791 | 12,412 |
| South Africa | 38 | 1:1,425,729 | 75,291 |
| Australia | 35 | 1:771,306 | 49,759 |
| Wales | 13 | 1:238,041 | 14,239 |
| Netherlands | 13 | 1:1,299,014 | 73,030 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 11 | 1:4,962 | 486 |
| Nigeria | 11 | 1:16,103,887 | 259,204 |
| Russia | 10 | 1:14,412,306 | 394,810 |
| Argentina | 7 | 1:6,106,202 | 178,634 |
| Singapore | 4 | 1:1,376,926 | 28,409 |
| Malawi | 4 | 1:4,279,777 | 24,060 |
| France | 4 | 1:16,605,680 | 368,153 |
| Malaysia | 2 | 1:14,747,112 | 316,340 |
| Brazil | 2 | 1:107,037,166 | 1,031,150 |
| Spain | 2 | 1:23,376,018 | 128,922 |
| Sweden | 2 | 1:4,923,378 | 241,212 |
| Northern Ireland | 1 | 1:1,845,036 | 20,648 |
| Morocco | 1 | 1:34,476,099 | 111,471 |
| Afghanistan | 1 | 1:32,153,183 | 60,828 |
| Taiwan | 1 | 1:23,444,746 | 93,622 |
| Switzerland | 1 | 1:8,212,915 | 156,297 |
| China | 1 | 1:1,367,321,566 | 51,149 |
| Iceland | 1 | 1:380,090 | 11,096 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 1:17,682,496 | 204,010 |
| Philippines | 1 | 1:101,238,223 | 404,861 |
| Kenya | 1 | 1:46,179,900 | 103,372 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 1 | 1:4,429,866 | 40,727 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 4 | 1:12,554,671 | 503,821 |
MacDuff (287) may also be a first name.
MacDuff Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
(1) Macduff, 'Thane of Fife,' 'a half or wholly mythical personage,' was really a creation of Fordun, and his story was embellished by Wyntoun, Boece, and Buchanan. Of his existence there is not a particle of proof. Had such a person existed some record of him would surely be found in RPSA. The opponent of Macbeth was Siward, earl of Northumberland, as all historical records show. Moreover MacDuff was not a surname at that time."The earls of Fife of the race of Macduf," says Skene, "first appear in the reign of David I. In the memoranda of old grants in the Chartulary of St. Andrews is a donation to the Culdees of Lochleven by 'Edelradus vir venerandae memoriae filius Malcolmi regis Scotiae, abbas de Dunkelden et insuper comes de Fyf,' who is the first earl on record. On the narrative that it was granted 'in juvenile aetate,' it is confirmed by his two brothers David and Alexander, in presence, among others, 'Constantini comitis de Fyf,' probably in the reign of Edgar. The charter by King David I remodelling the monastery of Dunfermline (RD., 1) is witnessed, among others, by 'Constantinus comes,' and 'Gillemichel mac duf,' and a later charter to Dunfermline is witnessed by 'Gillemichel comes de Fife.' If Constantine had been of the race of Macduf, and Gillemichel was his son, as many writers affirm, they could hardly appear together thus, 'Constantinus comes, Gillen she mac duf,' without any mention of their connection; and Gillemichel seems to have been the first earl of the race of Macduff" (Fordun, p. 422-423).
(2) Mac Dhuibh, ('son of Dubh,' an old Gaelic personal name, 'a curtailment of some longer or double-stemmed name'). Malisius mc Dl witnessed a confirmation charter by Henry, son of Malise, seneschal of Stratherne, 1284 (REM., p. 467). A bond by David M'Duif of Fandowie, James Makduf in Thannagarne, and others to Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenurquhay is recorded in 1594 (BBT., p. 251) John Roy M'Duif was retoured heir of Gilbert M'Duff, merchant burgess of Dundee, 1626 (Retours, Forfar, 158). See also Duff and Macilduf.
(Celtic) Son of Dubh: v. Duff
“Son of the Dark Man” (Duff) in Gaelic.
(Scottish) The son of Dubh (dark).
Shakspeare's Macduffhas a true historical basis. See under Duff.
The son of the captain. The family are descended from Macduff, Earl of Fife, temp. Malcolm Canmore.
MacDuff Demographics
MacDuff Religious Adherence
in Ireland
Religious Adherence
in Ireland
MacDuff Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name MacDuff Come From? nationality or country of origin
MacDuff occurs in The United States more than any other country/territory. It may also occur as a variant:. For other possible spellings of this last name click here.
How Common Is The Last Name MacDuff? popularity and diffusion
It is the 230,125th most frequent surname worldwide, borne by approximately 1 in 4,143,005 people. The surname MacDuff is primarily found in The Americas, where 70 percent of MacDuff live; 69 percent live in North America and 64 percent live in Anglo-North America. MacDuff is also the 522,011th most commonly occurring first name in the world, held by 287 people.
The last name MacDuff is most frequently used in The United States, where it is carried by 687 people, or 1 in 527,597. In The United States MacDuff is most numerous in: New York, where 15 percent live, Washington, where 15 percent live and California, where 14 percent live. Beside The United States it occurs in 29 countries. It is also common in Canada, where 30 percent live and Scotland, where 10 percent live.
MacDuff Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The frequency of MacDuff has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the MacDuff last name grew 17,175 percent between 1880 and 2014.
MacDuff Last Name Statistics demography
The religious adherence of those bearing the MacDuff surname is predominantly Anglican (100%) in Ireland.
In The United States those bearing the MacDuff surname are 9.48% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 56.25% registered with the political party.
The amount MacDuff earn in different countries varies significantly. In South Africa they earn 13.14% less than the national average, earning R 206,412 per year; in United States they earn 17.92% more than the national average, earning $50,883 USD per year and in Canada they earn 8.35% less than the national average, earning $45,533 CAD per year.
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Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacDuff
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis