Contents [hide]

Griffen History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Griffen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland-Alt
Scotland

The name Griffen is from the rugged landscape of Wales. It is a Celtic name that was derived from the Welsh surname Griffith or Ap Griffyn as in the son of Griffin or Griffith. 1

The exact origin of this name and its relationship with the Welsh baptismal name is difficult to pinpoint as they seem to be intermixed. The Domesday Book of 1086 "shows us a Grifin in Cornwall, and in Cheshire a Grifin Rex, first a favourite of Edward the Confessor, and afterwards a rebel against him. He was probably a Welsh border prince. The same old record presents us with a "Grifin puer" and a "Grifin filius Mariadoc," most likely identical, as a tenant in chief in co. Hereford." 2

Another source points toward the name as a nickname as "a name given to a noted man, whose qualities or disposition, in some respects, resembled this fabulous creature. Griffwn, in Welsh, is applied to a man having a crooked nose, like a hawk's bill. Gryffyn, in the Cornish British, signifies 'to give.' It may be the same as Griffith." 3

So as to confirm this later sources postulation, we found the "Gruffin, Griffin, a pet-form of Middle Welsh Gruffudd; in the Welsh border counties introduced direct from Wales, in the eastern counties by the Bretons who came over with the Conqueror and were numerous there." 4

Early Origins of the Griffen family

The surname Griffen was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the name Grifin "occurs in Cheshire, Hereford, and Cornwall. The name is most numerous in the contiguous counties of Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire, and afterwards in the counties immediately around, also extending westward to Devon and Somerset. Not found in the northern half of England. " 5

As already mentioned, the name was first used as a forename and indeed that was the first record in various rolls. Griffin filius Gurgan was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Pembrokeshire (Wales) in 1130. A few years later, Osbertus filius Griffini was listed in Norfolk in 1153-1168 and Gruffin son of Oweyn was listed in Cheshire in 1285. Robert Grifin was found in Winton, Hampshire in 1148 and Godfrey, Robert Griffin was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Wales in 1197 and the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1219. John Griffen was listed at St. Thomas, Staffordshire c. 1230. 4

Up in the north, early records were found in Scotland. "Robertus Griffin held land in Newtyle before 1226, William Griffin was witness to a charter by Andrew, bishop of Moray, 1233. Griffinus, canon of Moray, witnessed excambion of the lands of Dolays Michel (Dallas), 1232." 6

Sir Thomas Griffin (1323-1360) was a Knight of Weston Favell Manor and the Manor of Braybrooke, Northamptonshire, England. He was son of John Griffin (1272-1350.) This line claims descent from Ralph Griffin (b. 1190), son of Griffith and Gwenllian.

Early History of the Griffen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Griffen research. Another 248 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1332, 1392, 1596, 1602, 1680, 1692, 1706, 1740 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Griffen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griffen Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Griffen have included Griffin, Griffen, Griffinus and others.

Early Notables of the Griffen family

Notable amongst the family at this time was B. Griffin (fl. 1596), English poet, probably related to the Griffins of Dingley, Northamptonshire, has been identified with a Bartholomew Griffin of Coventry, who as buried on 15 Dec. 1602 at Holy Trinity in that town. 7 Benjamin Griffin (1680-1740), was an English actor and dramatist, the son of the Rev. Benjamin Griffin, rector of Buxton and Oxnead in...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Griffen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griffen Ranking

In the United States, the name Griffen is the 5,449^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 8

Griffen migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Griffen:

Griffen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Bridges Griffen, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 9
Dorothy Griffen, who landed in Virginia in 1654 9
Joan Griffen, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 9
William Griffen, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 9
William Griffen, who landed in Virginia in 1654 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Griffen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Griffen, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1768 9
Peter Griffen, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1768 9

Griffen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Griffen Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Griffen, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Private Charles Griffen U.E., "Griffin" born in Conneticut, USA from Castleton, Vermont, USA who settled in Elizabeth Town [Elizabethtown], Leeds County, Ontario c. 1784 he served in Jessup's Corps, married to Catherine Wisebury they had 4 children 10

Griffen migration to Australia +

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

Griffen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Griffen, French convict from Valenciennes, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
Miss Catherine Griffen, (b. 1803), aged 34, Irish house servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Miss Mary Griffen, English convict who was convicted in Clerkenwell, London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 22nd January 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Michael Griffen, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Sibella" 14

Griffen 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:

Griffen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ellen Griffen, aged 20, a domestic servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Griffen (post 1700) +

William Davenport Griffen (1894-1986), American artist, and muralist
Harold Winslow "Hal" Griffen (b. 1902), American football offensive lineman and coach in the National Football League
Anders Griffen, American drummer, composer, and trumpet player
Everson Griffen (b. 1987), American football defensive end
William L. Griffen, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York, 1968 (35th District), 1990 (25th District) 15
Joel T. Griffen, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Omaha, Nebraska, 1872 15
Daniel Griffen (1900-1982), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 9th District, 1964 15
Chauncey B. Griffen, American Republican politician, Mayor of White Plains, New York, 1932-33 15
April Griffen, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 2008 15
Thomas Sydney Griffen (1884-1950), Australian rugby union player
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
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
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SIBELLA 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/sibella1852.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html