| ![Show Contents]() Griffy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Griffy originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Gríobhtha, which is derived from the word "gríobhtha," which means "griffin-like." 1 While most of the instances of this name in Ireland can be traced to this native Irish source, the name also came to Ireland in the 12th century with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Strongbow. In this instance, he Griffy surname is derived from the Welsh personal names Griffin, Gruffin, or Griffith, pet-forms of the Middle Welsh name Gruffudd. Early Origins of the Griffy familyThe surname Griffy was first found in County Clare (Irish: An Clár) located on the west coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Early History of the Griffy familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Griffy research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Griffy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Griffy Spelling VariationsOfficial documents, crafted by early scribes and church officials, primarily contained names that were spelled according to their pronunciation. This lead to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating an illusion that a single person was many people. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Griffy that are preserved in the archival documents of the time are Griffey, Griffy, O'Griffey, Griffin and others. Early Notables of the Griffy familyMore information is included under the topic Early Griffy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Griffy migration to the United States | + |
In the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name Griffy, or one of its variants:
Griffy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- William Griffy, who was on record in South Carolina in 1782
| Griffy migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Griffy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Patrick Griffy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1846 2
- Thomas Griffy, aged 35, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" 3
- Lot Griffy, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Henry Moore"
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Griffy migration to the United States 
Griffy migration to Australia 
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