Recorded as Mintoff, Mintoft, Mintuff, and possibly others, this is an English surname. It is locational and originates from a now 'lost' medieval village believed to have been in the county of Yorkshire. In fact it is only in Yorkshire that the name seems to be recorded in any numbers, and is a rare example of a British surname which is not recorded in the city of London before the 20th century. The translation is probably 'Midiungr's house' a fusing of an early pre 7th century Danish Viking personal name, and 'toft', a place or house. The Vikings were very powerful in the Yorskhire and Lincolnshire region, with York being their capital city for at least two hundred years, and Hull and the Humber River, their point of entry. In this case early examples of surname recordings taken from surviving registers include those of Georgge Mintoff of Thirsk in North Yorkshire, on February 28th 1622, and Mary Mintoft who married Thomas Foster also at Thirsk on January 24th 1676.

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