Find out how popular the last name Griffen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Griffen.

Griffen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Griffen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Griffen in America

Griffen is the 9314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Griffen surname appeared 3,495 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Griffen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Griffen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Griffen

The surname Griffen originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "grifon," which means "griffin," a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. This name was likely bestowed upon someone who was known for their fierceness or bravery, as the griffin was a symbol of strength and valor.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Griffen, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273. The Hundred Rolls were a series of administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I, providing valuable insight into the names and locations of individuals living in England at the time.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, which listed a John Griffen from the village of Hemingborough. This suggests that the name had spread throughout different regions of England by this period.

The Griffen surname is also associated with several place names, such as Griffenfield in Yorkshire and Griffydam in Leicestershire. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname, including Griffyn, Griffyn, and Griffon.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Ralph Griffen, a Welsh military leader who fought alongside Owain Glyndŵr in the early 15th century during the Welsh Revolt against English rule. Sir Ralph was born around 1360 and played a crucial role in the struggle for Welsh independence.

Another prominent figure was John Griffen, a Catholic martyr who was executed in 1539 during the English Reformation for refusing to accept King Henry VIII's Act of Supremacy, which declared the monarch as the supreme head of the Church of England.

In the literary world, Edward Griffen (1770-1837) was an English writer and editor who published works on various subjects, including history, politics, and biography. He is best known for his biography of William Shakspere, which was published in 1821.

Lastly, Sir Lepel Henry Griffen (1838-1908) was a British colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab province in British India from 1886 to 1892. He was highly regarded for his administrative skills and efforts to promote education and infrastructure development in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Griffen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Griffen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Griffen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Griffen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Griffen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Griffen, please contact us.

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