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Griffin (surname)

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

Griffin is a surname of Irish, English and Welsh origin. Griffin was the 75th most common surname on the island of Ireland in 1891. 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.

Contents

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.

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.

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.

Ó Gríofáin

Found along the Mayo, Roscommon and Galway border.

Griffith

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

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. ^ "Genealogy". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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".
  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
Surname listThis page lists people with the surname Griffin.
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