17,294 Global Ruff Family Members

Ruff Family History

This name is of English topographic origin for one dwelling on or by a patch of rough uncultivated ground. The name derives from the Olde English pre 7th Century "ruh" meaning "rough". The surname from this source is first recorded in 1332, John ate Roug, in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex. Prior to this however, "Rough" was given as a nickname to one who behaved in this manner, (see below). In 1296 Geoffrey Rugh appears in the "Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire". The spelling "Rough" is well recorded in Scotland from the late 16th Century.