| ![Show Contents]() Griffins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of GriffinsWhat does the name Griffins mean? The name Griffins 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 Griffins familyThe surname Griffins 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 Griffins familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Griffins 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 Griffins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Griffins Spelling VariationsThere 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 Griffins have included Griffin, Griffen, Griffinus and others. Early Notables of the Griffins 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 Tr...
| Griffins 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 Griffins:
Griffins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Martha Griffins, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1709 7
- Thomas Griffins, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1716 7
- William Griffins, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 7
| Griffins migration to Australia | + |
Griffins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- John Griffins, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "General Hewett"
- 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)
- 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)
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