Griffing History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland-Alt
Wales

Etymology of Griffing

What does the name Griffing mean?

The name Griffing is from the rugged landscape of Wales. It is a Celtic name that was 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 most prominent of these was Griffith ap Cynan, the King of North Wales and the founder of the first Royal tribe of Wales; he was the eldest son of Rhodri Mawr, the first recorded King of Wales.

Gruffydd ab Llewelyn (d. 1063), King of the Welsh, was the son of Llewelyn, the son of Seisyll. His father, who, according to a late authority, had married Angharad, daughter of Maredudd, son of Owain, a descendant of Hywel Dda (Gwentian Brut, sub an. 994), had been a vigorous ruler over Gwynedd. 1

Gruffydd ab Rhydderch (d. 1055), king of the South Welsh, was the son of Rhydderch, son of lestin, who in 1023 had assumed the government of the south after the death of Llewelyn ab Seisyll, and was killed by the Irish in 1033. 1

Gruffydd ab Cynan (1055?-1137), King of Gwynedd or North Wales, was, through his father Cynan, son of Iago, a descendant of Rhodri Mawr and of the ancient royal line of Gwynedd. 1

Gruffydd ab Gwenwynwyn (d. 1286?), was Lord of Cyveiliog, Upper Powys, or, as it was called from his father, Powys Gwenwynwyn, was the son of Gwenwynwyn, the son of Owain Cyveiliog. 1

Early Origins of the Griffing family

The surname Griffing was first found in Chirk, where Gruffyd ap Madog Vnyon was listed in 1392. 2

Early History of the Griffing family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Griffing research. Another 248 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1332, 1392, 1553, 1558, 1567, 1570, 1599, 1601, 1618, 1622, 1628, 1637, 1640, 1646, 1665, 1666, 1700 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Griffing History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griffing Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Griffing have included Griffith, Griffiths, Gryffudd, Gryffuths and others.

Early Notables of the Griffing family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Mauirce Griffith, Griffyth or Griffyn (d. 1558), Bishop of Rochester, born in Wales, and educated in the south suburb of Oxford, among the Dominicans. 1 Edmund Griffith (1570-1637), was Bishop of Bangor, born at Cevnamlwch in Lleyn, the promontory of Carnarvonshire, in 1570. 1 John Griffith or Griffin (fl. 1553), was a Welsh monk of the order of Cistercians in the, monastery of Halesowen in Worcestershire. 1 George Griffith (1601-1666), was Welsh bishop of...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are 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. 3

Migration of the Griffing family to Ireland

Some of the Griffing family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Griffing migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Griffing:

Griffing Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Griffing, who landed in Virginia in 1664 4
John Griffing, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 4

Griffing Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Griffing, who landed in Virginia in 1702 4
Thomas Griffing, who landed in Virginia in 1703 4
Jeremiah Griffing, who landed in Mississippi in 1799 4

Griffing Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Griffing, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1849 4

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 5
Thomas Griffing, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 4th District, 2012 5
Robert A. Griffing, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hartford; Elected 1896 5
Nathaniel Griffing, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Guilford, 1820-33, 1835-36 5
George L. Griffing, American politician, Delegate to Nebraska State Constitutional Convention, 1875 5
George H. Griffing, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Franklin, 1902 5
Edward Stetson Griffing (b. 1868), American Republican politician, Mayor of New Rochelle, New York, 1914-18 5
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.)

Sources +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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