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 MeteorologistBrendan Scaife (born 1928), Irish Academic Engineer and PhysicistBo Scaife (born 1981), American professional football playerBobby Scaife (born 1955), English professional football playerCordelia Scaife May (1928–2005), American wealthy philanthropist; sister of Richard Mellon ScaifeMichael Scaife (1948-2001), British biologist and psychologistNicola Scaife, Australian balloonistNicky Scaife (born 1975), English professional footballerRichard Mellon Scaife (born 1932–2014), American newspaper publisher; heir to the Mellon fortuneRoss Scaife (1960–2008), American academic and scholar