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Show ContentsGriffith History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The name Griffith originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Gríobhtha, which is derived from the word "gríobhtha," which means "griffin-like." 1 While most of the instances of this name in Ireland can be traced to this native Irish source, the name also came to Ireland in the 12th century with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Strongbow. In this instance, he Griffith surname is derived from the Welsh personal names Griffin, Gruffin, or Griffith, pet-forms of the Middle Welsh name Gruffudd.

Early Origins of the Griffith family

The surname Griffith was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Griffith family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Griffith research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Griffith History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griffith Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Griffey, Griffy, O'Griffey, Griffin and others.

Early Notables of the Griffith family

More information is included under the topic Early Griffith Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griffith Ranking

In the United States, the name Griffith is the 339th most popular surname with an estimated 79,584 people with that name. 2

United States Griffith migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Griffith Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ambrose Griffith, who landed in Virginia in 1623 3
  • George Griffith, who arrived in New England in 1631 3
  • Jo Griffith, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 3
  • Joshua Griffith, aged 25, British servant who arrived in America in 1635 aboard the ship "Abigail" 3
  • Edward Griffith, aged 33, British settler who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Abraham" 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Griffith Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Judith Griffith, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1701-1703 3
  • Elizabeth Griffith, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1701 3
  • Elizabeth, Griffith Jr., who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1701 3
  • Samuel Griffith, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1701-1703 3
  • Hugh Griffith, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1704 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Griffith Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Aiex Griffith, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 3
  • Richard Griffith, who arrived in Maryland in 1804 3
  • Robert Griffith, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 3
  • Daniel Griffith, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 3
  • Robert Griffith, who arrived in America in 1810 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Griffith Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • William Griffith, who landed in Alaska in 1900 3

Canada Griffith migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Griffith Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Henry Griffith, who settled in St. John's Harbour, Newfoundland, in 1703 4
  • Fenton Griffith, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
  • Thomas Griffith, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
  • Dorcas Griffith, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1778
  • Mr. Hester Griffith U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harbor, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Griffith Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Margaret Griffith, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1831
  • Ellen Griffith, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Zephyr" in 1833
  • William Griffith, aged 60, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
  • Patrick Griffith, aged 21, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
  • James Griffith, aged 20, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Charity" from Kinsale, Ireland
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Griffith migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Griffith Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Anne Griffith, (b. 1781), aged 37, Irish convict who was convicted in Meath, Ireland for 14 years for forgery, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1837 6
  • Mr. Stephen Griffith, English convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 22nd September 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. John Griffith who was convicted in Flint, Flintshire, Wales for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. Robert Griffith, (b. 1806), aged 21, Welsh labourer who was convicted in Caernarfon (Carnarvon), Wales for life, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. William Griffith, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Griffith migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Griffith Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • J Griffith, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842
  • Mary Griffith, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Halcione" in 1870 11
  • Ellen Griffith, aged 26, a nurse, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879

West Indies Griffith migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12
Griffith Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Walter Griffith, who settled in Jamaica in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Griffith (post 1700) +

  • Andy Samuel Griffith (1926-2012), American actor, director, and producer perhaps best known for the 1960s situation comedy, The Andy Griffith Show and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • David Llewelyn Wark "D.W." Griffith (1880-1948), pioneering American film director, best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation; he was one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  • Steven Griffith (1961-2022), American ice hockey player who played for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and the American national team at the 1984 Winter Olympics and 1981 World Junior Championship
  • Leslie Ray Griffith (1956-2022), American writer and journalist who worked for 22 years at KTVU in the San Francisco Bay Area as a reporter and as a news anchor
  • Nanci Caroline Griffith (1953-2021), American singer, guitarist, and songwriter from Austin, Texas, who lived in Nashville, Tennessee, winner of the 1994 Grammy Award for the album Other Voices, Other Rooms
  • Grace Griffith (d. 2021), American folk and Celtic singer based in Washington, D.C
  • María Aline Griffith Dexter (1923-2017), Countess of Romanones, Spanish-American aristocrat, socialite, and writer
  • William Riley Griffith, American Republican politician, Kansas superintendent of public instruction, 1861-62 13
  • William Michael Griffith, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates 41st District, 2010 13
  • William M. Griffith, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Arizona Territory, 1884, 1908; Member of Republican National Committee from Arizona Territory, 1896 13
  • ... (Another 113 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Flight TWA 800
  • Ms. Jo-Anne S. Griffith (1957-1996), aged 39, from Brooklyn, New York, USA, American off-duty TWA employee flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 14
  • Ms. Donna Lynn Griffith (1959-1996), aged 37, from Westhampton, New York, USA, American passenger flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 14
Halifax Explosion
  • Gladstone Fitzgerald  Griffith (1917-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 15
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. George Griffith, English Second Waiter from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 16
  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  5. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
  9. Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  13. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, June 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  14. The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm
  15. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  16. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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