2000
#16,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,638
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.61
Rare Last name
Griffeth
An anglicized form of the Welsh surname Griffith, meaning "strong" or "vigorous".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,029 Americans carry the last name Griffeth. That puts it at #15,858 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Griffeth surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Griffeth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 168,928
Census rank
#15,858
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,769 bearers of the surname Griffeth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15858th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Griffeth, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Griffeth
Among Census respondents with the surname Griffeth, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Griffeth bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Griffeth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 1,552
- Black or African American5.0% · 88
- Two or more races3.8% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Griffeth
Griffeth appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#16,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,792
+154 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 72 places
2020
#15,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,769
-23 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,219 | 1,638 | 0.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,147 | 1,792 | 0.61 | +154 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 72 places |
| 2020 | #15,858 | 1,769 | 0.59 | -23 bearers (-1.3%) | Up 289 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Griffeth surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,147 | #15,858 | 1.8% |
| Count | 1,792 | 1,769 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.59 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Griffeth bearers went from 1,792 to 1,769 (-1.3% change). The surname moved up 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,147 to #15,858.
FAQ
Griffeth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Griffeth?
Name Census estimates that about 2,029 living Americans carry the surname Griffeth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,928 residents.
How common is Griffeth?
Griffeth ranks #15,858 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,769 people with the surname Griffeth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,029), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Griffeth.
Has Griffeth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Griffeth went from 1,792 recorded bearers to 1,769. That is a decrease of 23 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,147 to #15,858.
What does the Census say about the background of Griffeth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Griffeth, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Griffeth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (1,552 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Griffeth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (5.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Griffeth (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Griffeth mean?
An anglicized form of the Welsh surname Griffith, meaning "strong" or "vigorous". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Griffeth (0.59 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Griffeth?
Want to know how many people are called Griffeth? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.