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

Griffis, 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 Griffis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Griffis in America

Griffis is the 4278th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Griffis surname appeared 8,309 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Griffis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Griffis 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 Griffis

The surname GRIFFIS is believed to have originated in Wales during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Welsh name Griffith, which is derived from the Old Welsh elements "griff" meaning "vigor" or "strength" and "rhi" meaning "lord" or "leader." The name was likely adopted as a patronymic, meaning it would have initially referred to the son or descendant of someone named Griffith.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GRIFFIS can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landholdings and property ownership in England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, a person named Griffyn filius Griffis is mentioned as holding land in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Over time, the name GRIFFIS spread beyond Wales and into other parts of Britain and eventually to other parts of the world through migration and colonization. Throughout its history, the name has appeared in various spellings, including Griffis, Griffiss, Griffies, and Griffeys, among others.

One notable historical figure with the surname GRIFFIS was John Griffis (c. 1599-1675), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of St. Albans from 1661 until his death. Another was William Griffis (1836-1928), an American writer and educator who published several books about Japan and its culture.

In the 17th century, a branch of the GRIFFIS family settled in the American colonies, and several individuals with this surname played roles in the American Revolutionary War. For example, Samuel Griffis (1753-1826) served as a soldier in the Continental Army, while his brother Ichabod Griffis (1755-1844) served in the militia in New Jersey.

Another notable bearer of the GRIFFIS name was Stanton Griffis (1887-1975), an American businessman and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Spain from 1951 to 1952 and later as the Ambassador to Argentina from 1960 to 1962.

Throughout its long history, the surname GRIFFIS has maintained a strong connection to its Welsh origins, even as it has spread across the globe and adapted to various cultural and linguistic contexts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Griffis

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

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

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

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