Home › Irish Surnames › Griffin

Irish surname

Griffin: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Gríobhtha · 'descendant of Gríobhtha' (griffin-like, fierce warrior)

Woulfe (1923) gives several origins for Griffin in Ireland. Among them: Ó Gríobhtha, a Dalcassian family common in Thomond, 'usually anglicised Griffin'; Ó Gríobhtháin, a Connacht surname of Galway and Mayo; and Grífin, from a common Welsh personal name, a family that settled in Ireland about the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion. In 1890 Griffin was Ireland's 75th commonest surname, about 9,600 people.

Shop Griffin crest giftsRead the history
Coat of arms associated with the Griffin surname
Irish formÓ Gríobhtha
Meaning'descendant of Gríobhtha' (griffin-like, fierce warrior)
CountiesKerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo
Other spellings5

Origin of the Griffin name

Ó Gríobhtha: a Dalcassian family, chiefs of Cinel Cuallachta in the south-east of the barony of Inchiquin, with their castle at Ballygriffy; common in Thomond. Ó Gríobhtháin: a Connacht surname, chiefly Galway and Mayo. Grífin: 'son of Gruffin', a Welsh personal name; the family settled in Ireland about the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion.[1][2][3]

  1. About the time of the invasionThe Grífin family settles in Ireland.[3]
  2. 1803Novelist and poet Gerald Griffin born in Limerick, 12 December.[4]
  3. 1840Gerald Griffin dies at the North Monastery, Cork, 12 June.[4]
  4. 1890216 Griffin births, chiefly Kerry, Clare, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Mayo, Dublin.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. KerryFirst county named for Griffin births in 1890; 58 entries.[5][6]
Co. Clare27 Griffin entries in the 1890 Births Index, among the county's leading names.[6][5]
Co. GalwayÓ Gríobhtháin, 'found chiefly in Galway and Mayo'; principal Griffin county in 1890.[2][5]
Co. MayoÓ Gríobhtháin, 'found chiefly in Galway and Mayo'; principal Griffin county in 1890.[2][5]
Co. LimerickAmong the counties where Griffin was principally found in 1890.[5]

Notable people named Griffin

Gerald Griffin1803–1840Limerick-born poet and novelist; author of The Collegians; joined the Christian Brothers in 1838.[4]
William Griffin, M.D.1794–1848Gerald's elder brother; author of a few tales and some medical treatises.[4]

Other spellings

Griffy · Griffey · Greaven · Greven · Griffine[1]

The Griffin coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Griffin surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Griffin crest gifts

Clan Ogriffin Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapSP25 Classic Cap - Ogriffin Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Ogriffin Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45Clan Griffin Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapHV89 Classic Cap - Griffin Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Griffin Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45

Griffin surname: questions

Is Griffin an Irish or Welsh name?

Both. Woulfe gives Gaelic names anglicised Griffin, among them Ó Gríobhtha of Thomond and Ó Gríobhtháin of Connacht, and also Grífin, from a common Welsh personal name, a family that settled in Ireland about the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion.[1][2][3]

What does the surname Griffin mean?

Ó Gríobhtha is 'descendant of Gríobhtha' (griffin-like, fierce warrior); Ó Gríobhtháin is from its diminutive Gríobhthán. Grífin is 'son of Gruffin', a Welsh name from the Latin 'Rufinus', diminutive of Rufus, 'of ruddy complexion'.[1][2][3]

Where in Ireland is the Griffin name from?

In 1890 it was found mainly in Kerry, Clare, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Mayo and Dublin, with 133 of 216 births in Munster. Woulfe places Ó Gríobhtha in Thomond and Ó Gríobhtháin in Galway and Mayo.[5][1][2]

Sources

  1. Ó Gríobhtha — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/og/o-griobhtha.php
  2. Ó Gríobhtháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/og/o-griobhthain.php
  3. Grífin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/g/grifin.php
  4. Gerald Griffin — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/GeraldGriffin.php
  5. Griffin — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/griffin.php
  6. Registration Province of Munster (leading surnames by county, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/munster-names.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).