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

Griffie, 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 Griffie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Griffie in America

Griffie is the 23414th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Griffie surname appeared 1,086 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Griffie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Griffie 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 Griffie

The surname Griffie has its origins in England and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a variation of the name Griffin, which comes from the Old French word "grifon," meaning a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle.

This surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, where it was likely derived from a place name or a topographic feature associated with the griffin, a creature that was a popular symbol in heraldry and medieval art.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Griffie can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, there is a reference to a landowner named Griffinus, which could be an early spelling variation of the name.

In the 13th century, there are records of a family by the name of Griffie residing in the village of Grimsargh, near Preston in Lancashire. The name may have been associated with this particular location, which could have been derived from the Old English words "grima" meaning "goblin" and "erg" meaning "dwelling place."

One notable bearer of the Griffie surname was Sir John Griffie (1555-1628), who was a prominent figure in Elizabethan England and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1615. Another historic figure with this name was Thomas Griffie (1690-1773), a Welsh clergyman and author who published several theological works.

In the 17th century, the name Griffie also appeared in various records in the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, indicating its spread across different regions of England. One example is William Griffie (1632-1701), a landowner and Justice of the Peace in Derbyshire.

Other notable individuals with the surname Griffie include Robert Griffie (1778-1858), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and George Griffie (1820-1892), a prominent industrialist and philanthropist in Manchester.

Throughout its history, the surname Griffie has undergone various spelling variations, such as Griffey, Griffith, and Griffey, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes that occurred over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Griffie

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

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

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

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