Griffin is a surname of Irish, English and Welsh origin. Griffin was the 75th most common surname on the island of Ireland in 1891.[2] It was estimated in 2000 that Griffin is the 114th most common surname in the U.S., with a population in the order of two hundred thousand.[1]
The surname "Griffin" has a number of
Gaelic sources in
Ireland.
Ó Gríofa
The spelling Ó Gríofa (male) or Ní Ghríofa (female) is associated with the Co. Clare family, whose surname was also anglicised as O'Griffey or O'Griffy. Ó Gríofa translates to English as "descendant of the Griffin-like".
Prior to the Irish spelling review, Ó Gríofa was spelt
Ó Gríobhtha. The Ó Gríofa were chieftains of the
Cineal Cuallachta branch of the
Dál gCais, or
Dalcassians, with their castle at
Ballygriffy located in North Ballygriffey,
Dysert (formerly the barony of Inchiquin). The Ó Gríofa are of the same stock as the
O'Deas and the
O'Quins, who belong to the Cineal Fearmaic, or more appropriately, the
Ui Fearmaic.[3]
Ó Grifín
The "Ó Grifín" (male) / "Ní Ghrifín" (female) spelling belongs to the Kerry family. The Kerry Griffins are descendants of
Gallowglasses who fought in the
Desmond Rebellions against the English.[4]
Ó Gríofáin
Found along the Mayo, Roscommon and Galway border.[5][6]
Griffith
In Ireland, the surname Griffin can also be associated with the Welsh surname "
Griffith", but to a much lesser degree.[7]
Griffin in Wales
The surname "Griffin" in Wales, generally speaking, is a variant of the surname "
Griffith", or other similar Welsh names.
O'Laughin, M. C. (1997). "The Book of Irish Families Great & Small". Irish Genealogical Foundation
Matheson, R. E. (1891). "Special Report on Surnames in Ireland"
Williams, M. (1996) "Researching Local History"
U.S. Census Bureau (1990), Population Division, Population Analysis & Evaluation Staff
Surname list
This page lists people with the
surnameGriffin. If an
internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that
link by adding the person's
given name(s) to the link.