Griffin
A surname that usually comes from the old Welsh personal name Gruffudd/Griffin, meaning a strong or proud leader.
The #122 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,556 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In the historical sources, Griffin is treated chiefly as a Welsh baptismal name that later became a surname. It is generally connected with the old Welsh personal name Gruffudd, often Latinized in medieval records as Griffin or Grifin. The name is usually explained as containing the idea of a lord or strong ruler, though the exact early Welsh form and sense have been discussed in different ways.
History
Lower notes that Griffin was a common baptismal name in Wales and points to early medieval records in England and the Welsh borderlands. The surname spread well beyond Wales, especially in England and Ireland, where forms like O'Griffin and Mac-Griffin also appear in older records. It is now a very common surname in the English-speaking world, especially in the United States and Ireland.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval records show Griffin used not only as a surname but also as a personal name, and Lower cites a Domesday-era Grifin in Cornwall and another in Cheshire.
From the historical record
“Greive, Greaves, Greeves, &c. GRIFFIN. A common baptismal name in Wales. Domesday shews us a Grifin in Cornwall, and in Chesliire a Grifin lice, first a fiivom-ite of Edw. the Confessor, and afterwards a rebel against him. He was probably a Welsli border prince. The same old record presents us with a " Grifin puer"…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Griffin
- Blake Griffin (b. 1989)
- Walter Burley Griffin (1876–1937)
- Nick Griffin (b. 1959)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.