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

Griffin, 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 Griffin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Griffin in America

Griffin is the 122nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Griffin surname appeared 198,406 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 67 people would have the surname Griffin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Griffin 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 Griffin

The surname Griffin originated in England and Wales during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "griffon," which itself comes from the Latin "gryphus" and Ancient Greek "gryps," meaning a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. The name likely referred to someone who bore the griffin as a heraldic symbol or who may have had a fierce or valiant disposition.

The earliest recorded instances of the Griffin surname date back to the late 12th century. One of the earliest known bearers was William Griffin, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. The surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where a Richard le Griffon is listed.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a precursor to the Griffin surname can be found in the form of the Old English personal name "Grif," which appears in various locations across England. This suggests that the name may have originated from a nickname or descriptive term before evolving into a hereditary surname.

The Griffin surname is closely associated with several notable historical figures. One of the most famous was Leoline Griffin (c. 1615-1690), a Welsh politician and military leader who served as a Member of Parliament and played a significant role in the English Civil War. Another prominent individual was Edward Dorr Griffin (1770-1837), an American Presbyterian minister and theologian who served as the president of Williams College.

Other notable bearers of the Griffin surname include:

1. Walter Burley Griffin (1876-1937), an American architect who designed the planned city of Canberra, Australia.
2. John Griffin (c. 1719-1793), an American Baptist minister and author who was a pioneer of religious freedom in America.
3. Gerald Griffin (1803-1840), an Irish novelist, poet, and playwright known for works such as "The Collegians" and "The Invasion."
4. John Joseph Griffin (1859-1927), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Griffin surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Griffin in Staffordshire, England, and Griffintown, a neighborhood in Montreal, Canada, which was named after the prominent Irish-American Griffin family who settled there in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Griffin

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

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

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

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