Griffin Family History

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Griffin Name Meaning

Welsh: from a medieval Latinized form, Griffinus, of the Welsh personal name Gruffudd (see Griffith). English: nickname for a fierce or dangerous person, from Middle English griffin ‘gryphon’ (from Latin gryphus, Greek gryps, of Assyrian origin). Irish: Anglicized (part translated) form of Gaelic Ó Gríobhtha ‘descendant of Gríobhtha’, a personal name from gríobh ‘gryphon’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Giffin, Griffo, Griff, Griffey, Griffee, Griffy, Griffith, Goffin

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Griffin Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Griffin name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Griffin. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    47%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    23%

  • Germanic Europe

    5%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    5%

  • Benin/Togo

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Griffin Family Origin

Where is the Griffin family from?

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You can see how Griffin families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Griffin family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Griffin families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 854 Griffin families living in Ontario. This was about 47% of all the recorded Griffin's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Griffin families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Griffin surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Griffin

Griffin Family Occupations

What did your Griffin ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Griffin family was Student. The most common Griffin occupation in Canada was Farmer. 28% of Griffin's were Farmers. Farmer, Labourer and Servant were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Griffin.

View Census data for Griffin | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    28%

  • Labourer

    6%

  • Servant

    5%

  • Student

    4%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Griffin ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Griffin Historical Records

What Griffin family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Griffin. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Griffin census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Griffin

Passenger List

There are 110,000 immigration records available for the last name Griffin. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 188,000 military records available for the last name Griffin. For the veterans among your Griffin ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Griffin military records

You've only scratched the surface of Griffin family history.

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Griffin Life Expectancy

What is the average Griffin lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Griffin life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Griffin in 1940 was 40, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Griffin

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Griffin ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Griffin Family Ancestors

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