The word is first attested in 1545; the first element is obscure, the second element derives from a Northumbrian or East Anglian term
huff,
hurf (“scab”), from Old Norse
hrufa, from
Proto-Germanic *hreubaz,
*hreufaz (“rough, scabby”), source of Old English
hrēofla (“leprosy, leper”). More at
reef.