Scaife is an Old Norse patronymic surname meaning "boat-born". This first recorded instance of this surname was in the Old English epic Beowulf. Notable people with the surname include:
Adam Scaife (born 1970), British Physicist and Meteorologist
Brendan Scaife (born 1928), Irish Academic Engineer and Physicist
Bo Scaife (born 1981), American professional football player
Bobby Scaife (born 1955), English professional football player
Cordelia Scaife May (1928–2005), American wealthy philanthropist; sister of Richard Mellon Scaife
Michael Scaife (1948-2001), British biologist and psychologist
Nicola Scaife, Australian balloonist
Nicky Scaife (born 1975), English professional footballer
Richard Mellon Scaife (born 1932–2014), American newspaper publisher; heir to the Mellon fortune
Ross Scaife (1960–2008), American academic and scholar
