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Griggs History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Griggs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

In ancient Scotland, the ancestors of the Griggs family were part of a tribe called the Picts. The name Griggs is derived from a diminutive form of the personal name Gregory. The Gaelic form of the name was Griogair, which was borrowed from the Latin name Gregorius. This in turn came from the Greek name Gregorios, a derivative of the word gregorein, which means to be awake or to be watchful.

Early Origins of the Griggs family

The surname Griggs was first found in Fife and "along the east central coast. In old parish records the name is spelled Greag (1689), Greg, Grege (1536), Gregg, Grieg, Grig (1508) Walter Greg witnessed a charter by Malcolm, earl of Fife, c. 1214-1226. Patrick Grige was admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1488, and John Grige held land there, 1493. Johannes Greg was chosen common councillor in Aberdeen, 1502." 1

The Gregg or Greig surname and their variants are closely associated with that of the great ancient Clan, the MacGregors, descended from Prince Gregory, son of Alpin, King of Scotland. The name was also found in England from about the 12th century in Yorkshire and Lancashire. In Dorset, William Gregge was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1234 and later, Henry Gregge was found in the Feet of Fines for Esses in 1306. 2

The Norwegian family who produced the famous composer Edvard Greig (1843-1907), are descended from the Greggs of Fraserburgh in Aberdeen. After the Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746, Grieg's great-grandfather, Alexander Greig (1739-1803), travelled widely before settling in Norway. Many of Edvard's concertos are dedicated to the MacGregor Clan.

Early History of the Griggs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Griggs research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1273, 1379, 1488, 1502, 1522, 1567, 1735, 1739, 1759, 1788, 1798, 1803, 1819, 1878 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Griggs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griggs Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Griggs has been spelled Gregg, Greig and others.

Early Notables of the Griggs family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was John Gregg (1798-1878), Bishop of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross, born 4 Aug. 1798 at Cappa, near Ennis, where his father, Richard Gregg, lived on a small property. After attending a classical school in Ennis, he entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1819, where he took a sizarship, a scholarship, and many prizes...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Griggs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griggs Ranking

In the United States, the name Griggs is the 1,075^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Griggs family to Ireland

Some of the Griggs family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griggs migration to the United States +

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Griggs:

Griggs Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Griggs, aged 42, from Buckinghamshire, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell", bound for Boston 4
Mrs. Alice Griggs, aged 42, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell", bound for Boston 5
Thomas Griggs, aged 15, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell", bound for Boston 5
William Griggs, aged 14, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell", bound for Boston 5
Elizabeth Griggs, aged 10, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell", bound for Boston 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Griggs Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliza Griggs, who landed in Virginia in 1714 4
Thomas Griggs, who landed in Virginia in 1714 4

Griggs migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Griggs Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Simon Griggs U.E. who settled in Shefford Township, Eastern Townships, Quebec c. 1784 an association of Capt. John Savage 6

Griggs migration to Australia +

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

Griggs Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Jerry Griggs, (b. 1817), aged 23, American ploughman who was convicted in Kingston, Ontario, Canada for life for unlawful invasion, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 28th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), captured at the battle of Windmill in 1838 7
Mr. Nelson S. Griggs, (b. 1811), aged 29, American ploughman who was convicted in Kingston, Ontario, Canada for life for unlawful invasion, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 28th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), captured at the battle of Windmill in 1838 7
Mr. Joseph Griggs, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
James Griggs, English convict from Sussex, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
John Griggs, aged 44, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Duke of Wellington" 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Griggs 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:

Griggs Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Griggs, (b. 1848), aged 19, British nursemaid travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1867 11
Daniel Griggs, aged 22, a plumbers labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
Catherine Griggs, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rangitikei" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Griggs (post 1700) +

Robyn Griggs (1973-2022), American stage, television, and film actress from Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
James Mathews Griggs (1861-1910), American Democratic Party politician, Solicitor-general,1888-93, Circuit Judge in Georgia, 1893-96; U.S. Representative from Georgia 2nd District, 1897-1910 12
Winston Griggs, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Henry County Democratic Party, 2003 12
William Griggs, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1972 12
Thomas C. Griggs, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Richwood, West Virginia, 1900-01 12
W. R. Griggs, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1948 12
Samuel Griggs, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Steuben County, 1838 12
O. H. Griggs (b. 1884), American politician, Member of Minnesota State Senate 61st District, 1915-18 12
Nathan K. Griggs, American politician, Delegate to Nebraska State Constitutional Convention, 1871; Member of Nebraska State Senate, 1873-75 12
Joyce Marie Griggs, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Georgia 1st District, 2000 12
... (Another 37 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, June 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html