Show ContentsGreff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Greff was first found in Switzerland.

Early Origins of the Greff family

The surname Greff was first found in Switzerland, where the family contributed to the development of the region. They became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in savage tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile.

Early History of the Greff family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greff research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1485, 1527, 1599, 1611, 1664, 1671, 1678, 1719, 1769, 1807, 1815, 1826, 1841 and 1869 are included under the topic Early Greff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greff Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Graf, Grafe,Graef, Graff, Graffen, Graffin, Grafen, Grafin, Grav, Graaf and many more.

Early Notables of the Greff family

Notables of the time with the surname Greff were Urs Graf (1485-1527), Swiss engraver and goldsmith, influenced by Albrecht Duerer; Cornelis de Graeff (1599-1664), Mayor of Amsterdam; Free Imperial Knight Andries de Graeff (1611-1678), Mayor of Amsterdam; Cornelis de Graeff (1671-1719), Dutch Canon of St. Pieter at...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Greff Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greff Ranking

In France, the name Greff is the 5,721st most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1


New Zealand Greff 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:

Greff Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Greff, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "James Nicol Fleming" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 1st July 1873 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Greff (post 1700) +

  • Renee Greff, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 2004 3
  • Clarence Henry Greff (1873-1954), American politician, Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention 44th District, 1915 3


  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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