2000
#50,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 392
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Griffon
A occupational surname referring to a watchman or guard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 463 Americans carry the last name Griffon. That puts it at #54,978 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 740,290 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Griffon 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 Griffon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
463
1 in 740,290
Census rank
#54,978
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
404
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 404 bearers of the surname Griffon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54978th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Griffon, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Griffon
The surname GRIFFON has its origins in medieval France, dating back to the 11th or 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "griffon," which referred to a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle. This creature was often depicted in heraldry and symbolized strength, courage, and vigilance.
In the early Middle Ages, the name GRIFFON may have been adopted as a surname by individuals who lived near a place adorned with a griffon emblem or crest. Alternatively, it could have been given as a nickname to someone perceived as having griffon-like qualities, such as bravery or fierceness.
One of the earliest known references to the surname GRIFFON can be found in the Medieval English genealogical work, "The Visitation of Somersetshire," compiled in 1623. This record mentions a Sir John Griffon, who lived in the 14th century and held lands in Somersetshire, England.
Another notable early bearer of the name was Guillaume Griffon, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). He is recorded as serving under the renowned French military leader, Joan of Arc, during the Siege of Orléans in 1429.
In the 16th century, a family by the name of Griffon resided in the village of Bray-sur-Somme, in the northern French region of Picardy. One member of this family, Jacques Griffon (1525-1592), was a renowned architect who contributed to the design of several notable buildings, including the Château de Fontainebleau.
During the Renaissance period, the GRIFFON name was also associated with the arts. Jean Griffon (1548-1628) was a French painter and engraver who worked in the Mannerist style and produced numerous religious works for churches in Paris and other parts of France.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname GRIFFON was Jean-Baptiste Griffon (1715-1799), a French playwright and poet who was elected to the Académie Française in 1768. His most famous work was the tragedy "Ménalippe," which premiered in 1758.
As the GRIFFON name spread throughout Europe over the centuries, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Griffon, Griffin, and Griffyn. While the name has French origins, it has since been adopted by families in other countries, including England, Germany, and Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Griffon
Among Census respondents with the surname Griffon, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Griffon 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 Griffon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 306
- Black or African American15.8% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 9
- Two or more races2.0% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Griffon
Griffon 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
#49,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 420
+28 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 264 places
2020
#54,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 404
-16 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 5,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,178 | 392 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,914 | 420 | 0.14 | +28 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 264 places |
| 2020 | #54,978 | 404 | 0.14 | -16 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 5,064 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 Griffon 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 | #49,914 | #54,978 | -10.1% |
| Count | 420 | 404 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.14 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Griffon bearers went from 420 to 404 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 5,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,914 to #54,978.
FAQ
Griffon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Griffon?
Name Census estimates that about 463 living Americans carry the surname Griffon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 740,290 residents.
How common is Griffon?
Griffon ranks #54,978 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 404 people with the surname Griffon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Griffon.
Has Griffon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Griffon went from 420 recorded bearers to 404. That is a decrease of 16 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #49,914 to #54,978.
What does the Census say about the background of Griffon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Griffon, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Griffon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Griffon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (15.8%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Griffon (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 Griffon mean?
A occupational surname referring to a watchman or guard. 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 Griffon (0.14 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 are called Griffon?
Find out how many people are called Griffon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.