Show ContentsGriffen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Griffen Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Griffen

What does the name Griffen mean?

The history of the name Griffen began when it 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

The Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, and therefore, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Griffin, Griffen, Griffinus and others.

Early Notables of the Griffen family

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 Norfolk, and chaplain to the Earl of Yarmouth, was...
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 5,449th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 8

Griffen migration to the United States +

Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Griffen were among those contributors:

Griffen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Bridges Griffen, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 10
  • Dorothy Griffen, who landed in Virginia in 1654 10
  • Joan Griffen, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 10
  • William Griffen, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 10
  • William Griffen, who landed in Virginia in 1654 10
  • ... (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 10
  • Peter Griffen, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1768 10

Griffen migration to Canada +

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 11

Griffen migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
Following the Second Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia 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 12
  • 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 13
  • 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) 14
  • Michael Griffen, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Sibella" 15

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) 16
  • Joel T. Griffen, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Omaha, Nebraska, 1872 17
  • Daniel Griffen (1900-1982), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 9th District, 1964 17
  • Chauncey B. Griffen, American Republican politician, Mayor of White Plains, New York, 1932-33 17
  • April Griffen, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 2008 17
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  6. 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)
  7. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  10. 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)
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  15. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SIBELLA 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/sibella1852.shtml
  16. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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