Griffing History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland-Alt
Wales

Etymology of Griffing

What does the name Griffing mean?

The Griffing surname is derived from the Welsh personal names Griffin, Gruffin, or Griffith. These were pet-forms of the Middle Welsh name Gruffudd, which was borne by many Welsh princes. The name came to Ireland in the 12th century with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Strongbow. There was also a native Irish line whose name originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Gríobhtha, which is derived from the word "gríobhtha," which means "griffin-like." 1 It is thought that most of the bearers of the Griffith variant of the name are of Welsh ancestry.

Early Origins of the Griffing family

The surname Griffing was first found in the province of Munster, where they had been granted lands by Strongbow after the Anglo Norman invasion into Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Griffing family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Griffing research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1710 is included under the topic Early Griffing History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griffing Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Griffin, O'Griffin, Griffen, O'Griffen, Griffith, Griffey, Griffy, O'Griffy and many more.

Early Notables of the Griffing family

More information is included under the topic Early Griffing Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griffing Ranking

In the United States, the name Griffing is the 18,681^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Griffing migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Griffing Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Griffing, who landed in Virginia in 1664 3
John Griffing, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 3

Griffing Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Griffing, who landed in Virginia in 1702 3
Thomas Griffing, who landed in Virginia in 1703 3
Jeremiah Griffing, who landed in Mississippi in 1799 3

Griffing Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Griffing, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1849 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Griffing (post 1700) +

Wilburn Glynn Griffing (b. 1940), American former NFL football quarterback for the New York Giants
W. Irving Griffing (1859-1941), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Glens Falls, New York, 1912-15, 1920-21, 1934-35; Candidate for New York State Assembly from Warren County, 1923 4
Thomas Griffing, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 4th District, 2012 4
Robert A. Griffing, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hartford; Elected 1896 4
Nathaniel Griffing, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Guilford, 1820-33, 1835-36 4
George L. Griffing, American politician, Delegate to Nebraska State Constitutional Convention, 1875 4
George H. Griffing, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Franklin, 1902 4
Edward Stetson Griffing (b. 1868), American Republican politician, Mayor of New Rochelle, New York, 1914-18 4
Josephine Sophia White Griffing (1814-1872), American reformer who campaigned against slavery and for women's rights
Stuart "Stu" Lane Griffing (1926-1948), American bronze medalist rower at the 1948 Summer Olympics
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Griffing Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ne vile Velis
Motto Translation: Wishing nothing base.

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, June 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html