The name "Quarff" comes from Old Norse "Hvervi" and means a bending shape(John Stewart - Shetland Place-names Page 175).

The village has long been a site where goods and boats could be transported between the east and west coast, avoiding what would otherwise be a sea journey of about 40 miles (64 km) round Sumburgh Head.

Sir John Sinclair reported in 1794 that "The people of Quarff are frequently employed in transporting goods from one side of the country to the other, which brings them in considerable sums.

In 1900 a local crofter excavated a mound on his croft and found a stone slab covering a stone-lined chamber containing a skull and a bowl.

[7] Quarff has a community hall used for youth clubs, play groups, as a venue during the folk festival and for other events.

[2] In 1843 his allegiance was called into question however,[10] and in June 1843 his name appears in a list of ministers who had given their adhesion to the Free Presbyterian Church in Scotland[11] in the so-called Disruption of 1843.

"[2] The area experienced a Christian revival in 1863; a contemporaneous report reads: "Formerly Quarff was noted for its coldness and apathy in matters of religion ... Now, however, the people are in the deepest concern about the interests of their souls".