Genealogical research is one of my passions (in addition to knitting and crochet, of course). I have traced my Puff ancestors to the Hildburghausen, Thuringia and another branch to the Pomeranian area of Germany, going as far back as the mid1600s. According to one German historian, a “puff” was a boy who followed the army, carried things for them, and was buffeted around by the soldiers.