The surnames Scharf, Schärf, Schaerff, Sharf, as well as similar spellings of these names, usually have their origins in either the German or Irish languages.
As a result of emigration from Europe, these surnames are now also common throughout the United States, Canada and Australia.
Literally meaning "sharp", it is regarded as having originated as a medieval nickname, i.e. it described an attribute of an individual's personality, such as sharp-wittedness.
In Ireland, Scharf and related surnames, such as Scariff, were originally found in the south-western counties of Kerry and Limerick.
According to this theory, one or more Vikings carried the name "Skarf", literally "cormorant", but also in a vernacular sense "glutton", "scoundrel" or "rascal".