Luff

This is an English surname. Recorded as Love, Luff, and Louve, it has at least two possible origins. The first is as a derivative of the Olde English pre 7th century personal name "Lufa" which is recorded in the Feudal Documents of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in the year 1095, whil;st slightly later Galfridus filius Love appears in the Pipe Rolls of the adjoining county of Norfolk in the year 1208. The second possible origin was as a nickname from the Norman French word "louve" meaning a female wolf. This creature was renowned for her bravery and ferocity in fighting and therefore was a complimentary nickname for a soldier. Among the early recordings in London is the marriage of John Luff and Elizabeth White on November 20th 1695 at St. James, Dukes Place, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Peter Love, which was dated 1255, in the Fines Court Rolls of the county of Essex, during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.