Griffin (surname)

Griffin
Griffin surname map
Origin
Word/nameIrish
Meaning"descendant of the Griffin-like"
[1]

Griffin is a surname of Irish, English and Welsh origin. Griffin was the 75th most common surname on the island of Ireland in 1891.[2] It was estimated in 2000 that Griffin is the 114th most common surname in the U.S., with a population in the order of two hundred thousand.[1]

Griffin in Ireland

The surname "Griffin" has a number of Gaelic sources in Ireland. According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Griffeys were one of the chiefly families of the Dal gCais or Dalcassians who were a tribe of the Erainn who were the second wave of Celts to settle in Ireland between about 500 and 100 BC.[3]

Ó Gríofa

The spelling Ó Gríofa (male) or Ní Ghríofa (female) is associated with the Co. Clare family, whose surname was also anglicised as O'Griffey or O'Griffy. Ó Gríofa translates to English as "descendant of the Griffin-like".

Prior to the Irish spelling review, Ó Gríofa was spelt Ó Gríobhtha. The Ó Gríofa were chieftains of the Cineal Cuallachta branch of the Dál gCais, or Dalcassians, with their castle at Ballygriffy located in North Ballygriffey, Dysert (formerly the barony of Inchiquin). The Ó Gríofa are of the same stock as the O'Deas and the O'Quins, who belong to the Cineal Fearmaic, or more appropriately, the Ui Fearmaic.[4]

Ó Grifín

The "Ó Grifín" (male) / "Ní Ghrifín" (female) spelling belongs to the Kerry family. The Kerry Griffins are descendants of Gallowglasses who fought in the Desmond Rebellions against the English.[5]

Ó Gríofáin

Found along the Mayo, Roscommon and Galway border.[6][7]

Griffith

In Ireland, the surname Griffin can also be associated with the Welsh surname "Griffith", but to a much lesser degree.[8]

Griffin in Wales

The surname "Griffin" in Wales, generally speaking, is a variant of the surname "Griffith", or other similar Welsh names.

Notable people with the surname

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Fictional characters with the surname

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Genealogy". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012.
  2. ^ Matheson 1891
  3. ^ Cairney, C. Thomas (1989). Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland. Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London: McFarland & Company. pp. 61–69. ISBN 0899503624.
  4. ^ O'Laughlin, Michael C. (2000). Families of County Clare Ireland. Irish Genealogical Foundation. ISBN 978-0940134980.
  5. ^ "FamilyTreeDNA".
  6. ^ "Irish Surname Maps".
  7. ^ "Sloinne".[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ O'Laughin 1997
  • "Surname Maps of Ireland" (map). barrygriffin.com. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  • O'Laughlin, M. C. (1997). "The Book of Irish Families Great & Small". Irish Genealogical Foundation ISBN 0940134098
  • Matheson, R. E. (1891). "Special Report on Surnames in Ireland"
  • Williams, M. (1996) "Researching Local History"
  • U.S. Census Bureau (1990), Population Division, Population Analysis & Evaluation Staff