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

Griffeth, 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 Griffeth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Griffeth in America

Griffeth is the 16147th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Griffeth surname appeared 1,792 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 Griffeth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Griffeth 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 Griffeth

The surname GRIFFETH is of Welsh origin, deriving from the personal name Gruffydd, a Welsh form of the Old Celtic name Gryphiudh. This name is believed to have emerged in the 9th century, likely in the region of Powys, a historic county and principality in Wales.

GRIFFETH is a variant spelling of the more common Welsh surname Griffiths, which is a patronymic name meaning "son of Gruffydd." The name Gruffydd itself is thought to derive from the Welsh words "gryff" meaning "strong" or "vigorous" and "buddh" meaning "victory" or "lord."

One of the earliest known references to the GRIFFETH surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Griffi." This suggests that the name was already in use in England during the 11th century, likely brought over by Welsh settlers.

In the 13th century, a record from the Assize Rolls of Shropshire mentions a certain "Richard Griffeth," providing further evidence of the name's early usage in the Welsh border regions of England.

Notable individuals bearing the GRIFFETH surname throughout history include:

1. Rhys Griffeth (c. 1508 - 1594), a Welsh poet and writer from Carmarthenshire.
2. Sir John Griffeth (1562 - 1628), a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament for Carmarthen Boroughs.
3. Thomas Griffeth (1670 - 1725), a Welsh landowner and High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire in 1699.
4. Evan Griffeth (1737 - 1803), a Welsh Anglican clergyman and author from Cardiganshire.
5. John Griffeth (1792 - 1876), a Welsh-American farmer and pioneer who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 19th century.

While the GRIFFETH surname is relatively uncommon today, its historical roots can be traced back to the ancient Welsh kingdoms and principalities, where it likely originated as a personal name before evolving into a hereditary surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Griffeth

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

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 Griffeth 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 Griffeth 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 Griffeth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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