Stiff Surname

89,220th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 5,379 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
England

Stiff Surname Definition:

John Stife, Wiltshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Robert Stife, Wiltshire, ibid.

Read More About This Surname

Stiff Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States3,0491:118,87812,753
England1,5391:36,2044,747
Australia2811:96,07010,909
Canada2201:167,48016,862
Wales501:61,8915,534
South Africa441:1,231,31169,478
Jamaica431:66,7433,387
Scotland211:254,94412,577
New Zealand211:215,63421,249
France161:4,151,420237,746
Austria121:709,62061,025
Germany101:8,050,546248,660
Poland81:4,751,094138,864
Norway71:734,61250,907
Thailand51:14,127,669603,945
Spain51:9,350,407109,555
Papua New Guinea51:1,630,743129,019
Sweden41:2,461,689157,534
Malaysia41:7,373,556230,001
Singapore41:1,376,92628,409
Israel31:2,852,545113,505
Brazil31:71,358,111770,017
India31:255,688,4611,306,352
Philippines31:33,746,074302,898
Colombia21:23,887,03632,612
Indonesia21:66,124,597756,638
Uganda11:39,039,279258,887
Antigua and Barbuda11:99,1712,137
China11:1,367,321,56651,149
Ecuador11:15,905,84650,210
Ghana11:27,020,69223,742
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
Tunisia11:610,62630,336
Kuwait11:3,800,69427,187
Switzerland11:8,212,915156,297
Malawi11:17,119,10934,144
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Solomon Islands11:580,02922,243
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland111:402,71514,385
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1,0031:24,3023,366
Wales191:82,5483,796
Scotland151:249,5488,553
Jersey11:51,8823,898
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States8501:59,0816,535

Stiff (200) may also be a first name.

Stiff Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'the stiff,' rigid in feature or obstinate in temper. 'The vowel was once long' (Skeat). Hence the form of entry immediately below:

John Stife, Wiltshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Robert Stife, Wiltshire, ibid.

1682. Married — Thomas Stiffe and Margaret Pane: St. James, Clerkenwell.

1702. Baptised — William, s. Joseph Stiffe: ibid.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

This name was introduced into Britain by the Normans, with whom it was a favorite. Although found occasionally in England before 1066 its use then was due really to Christian tradition, Stephen (Stephanos) having been the first Christian martyr after Christ. Stephen, diaconus, witnessed a charter by Bishop Edward, c. 1150-71 (RPSA., p. 297). James Stephen, provost and merchant in Elgin, 1780 (Moray). Thomas Stephen published his History of the Church of Scotland in 4 v. (1843-45). In Scotland the name exists in the more common form Steven, which see.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English) Stiff, Hard, Firm, Strong, Proud [Middle English stif(e, Old English stif = Danish- Norwegian stiv = Dutch stijf] John Stife.—Hundred Rolls

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

This scripture name, like many others, was not introduced here until the Norman Conquest, after which we find it in the form of Fitz-Stephen. It occupies a large place among our surnames in the usual genitive forms of Stephens. Stevens, Steevens, Stephenson, Stevenson, &c. A nicked or abbreviated form furnishes us with our Steen. Steenson, Stimson, Stimpson, Stinson, Stibbs: perhaps also Stubbs, Steff, Stiff, and Stennett. Tiffany and Tiffin, from Stephanus, belong to the same category.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Honor.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

From Stephen. See Tiffany.

Ludus Patronymicus (1868) by Richard Stephen Charnock

Radulphus Rigidus, Normandy 1180-95 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae); John, Robert Stife, Engl. c. 1272 (Rotuli Hundredorum).

The Norman People (1874)

From the Swedish, Styffe; from the German, Steife, Stief; from the Dutch, Stiev, Stiffij; from the Flemish, Steuve; in the Domesday Book, Stefan; a personal name.

In the Midland counties Stiff is used as a contraction for Stephen. Compare Staffordshire and Stofer.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Stiff Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Stiff Come From? nationality or country of origin

Stiff is more frequently found in The United States than any other country or territory. It may also be rendered in the variant forms:. Click here for further potential spellings of this last name.

How Common Is The Last Name Stiff? popularity and diffusion

It is the 89,220th most common surname on a worldwide basis, held by around 1 in 1,354,814 people. The last name occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 55 percent of Stiff are found; 54 percent are found in North America and 54 percent are found in Anglo-North America. Stiff is also the 640,739th most commonly held first name globally, held by 200 people.

This last name is most common in The United States, where it is borne by 3,049 people, or 1 in 118,878. In The United States Stiff is most prevalent in: Illinois, where 10 percent live, Texas, where 8 percent live and Virginia, where 7 percent live. Other than The United States it occurs in 40 countries. It also occurs in England, where 29 percent live and Australia, where 5 percent live.

Stiff Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of Stiff has changed over time. In The United States the number of people carrying the Stiff surname grew 359 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 153 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 263 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Scotland it grew 140 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Stiff Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those bearing the Stiff surname is predominantly Catholic (82%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Stiff surname are 32.7% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than The US average, with 85.93% being registered with the party.

The amount Stiff earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 155.43% more than the national average, earning 883,978 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 19.96% more than the national average, earning R 285,072 per year; in United States they earn 1.09% more than the national average, earning $43,620 USD per year and in Canada they earn 0.23% more than the national average, earning $49,796 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Stieff91295/
Steiff91260/
Stifft91197/
Stiffe9182/
Staiff9144/
Shtiff9131/
Sthiff912/
Stiffs910/
Stif89173/
Stijffs8323/
Stheiff832/
Steiffe831/
Steiffs830/
Stief805,072/
Steff801,357/
Stift801,028/
Steif80941/
Stijf80281/
Staif8043/
Styff8026/
Stoif8024/
Stife808/
Stuif804/
Stifs801/
Steffe731,409/
Styffe73252/
Stijfs7384/
Shtaif7330/
Shteif7315/
Shteff7310/
Steuff737/
Stuijf736/
Steffs734/
Steeff733/
Shtift733/
Steffå732/
S'Taif731/
Sttyff731/
Shtief731/
Stoyff731/
Stipfs731/
Steife730/
Steifs730/
Staift730/
Stef674,659/
Styf67486/
Stib6769/
Stiv6719/
Stéf674/
Ztif671/
Stjf671/
Stheffe671/
Stepffe671/

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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 Stiff
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis