Griffin Name Meaning

“Griffin: A Name Straight Out of Mythology”

The name Griffin is a unique and powerful name that has a rich history steeped in mythology. It’s a name that is both classic and modern, making it a great choice for parents who want to give their child a name with a little bit of magic.

Origins of the Name

The name Griffin is of Welsh origin and is derived from the Welsh word “griff” which means “strong chief”. It’s also a creature from mythology that has the head, beak, and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. This creature was said to be very powerful and was often seen as a symbol of strength and courage.

Popularity

The name Griffin has been consistently in the top 1000 most popular names in the US since the year 2000, According to Social Security Administration data, it peaked at position number 480 in the year 2018.

Famous Griffins

One of the most famous Griffins is the character Griffin from the popular animated television series “Family Guy”. Griffin is the patriarch of the Griffin family and is known for his often foolish and irresponsible behavior.

Another famous Griffin is Griffin Dunne, an American actor, film producer, and film director. He has appeared in many films, including “After Hours,” “An American Werewolf in London,” and “Running on Empty.”

Final thoughts

The name Griffin is a unique and powerful name that has a rich history steeped in mythology. It’s a name that is both classic and modern, making it a great choice for parents who want to give their child a name with a little bit of magic. And who knows, maybe your little Griffin will grow up to be a powerful leader or a successful actor, just like the famous Griffins before him.

Infographic of Griffin name meaning, which is A Welsh name, Griffin means strong in faith and is a mythical being.
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Griffin Name Popularity

How popular is the name Griffin? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 — 0 0%
1911 — 0 0%
1912 — 0 0%
1913 — 0 0%
1914 1,225 5 0.0007%
1915 — 0 0%
1916 — 0 0%
1917 — 0 0%
1918 1,440 5 0.0005%
1919 1,502 5 0.0005%
1920 — 0 0%
1921 1,549 5 0.0004%
1922 — 0 0%
1923 — 0 0%
1924 — 0 0%
1925 1,397 6 0.0005%
1926 — 0 0%
1927 — 0 0%
1928 1,234 10 0.0009%
1929 — 0 0%
1930 — 0 0%
1931 — 0 0%
1932 — 0 0%
1933 — 0 0%
1934 — 0 0%
1935 — 0 0%
1936 — 0 0%
1937 — 0 0%
1938 — 0 0%
1939 1,428 5 0.0005%
1940 — 0 0%
1941 — 0 0%
1942 — 0 0%
1943 — 0 0%
1944 — 0 0%
1945 — 0 0%
1946 1,419 5 0.0003%
1947 — 0 0%
1948 — 0 0%
1949 — 0 0%
1950 — 0 0%
1951 — 0 0%
1952 — 0 0%
1953 — 0 0%
1954 1,354 7 0.0004%
1955 — 0 0%
1956 — 0 0%
1957 — 0 0%
1958 — 0 0%
1959 — 0 0%
1960 — 0 0%
1961 — 0 0%
1962 — 0 0%
1963 — 0 0%
1964 1,535 5 0.0003%
1965 — 0 0%
1966 — 0 0%
1967 — 0 0%
1968 — 0 0%
1969 1,722 5 0.0003%
1970 — 0 0%
1971 — 0 0%
1972 — 0 0%
1973 — 0 0%
1974 — 0 0%
1975 — 0 0%
1976 1,488 10 0.0008%
1977 1,497 11 0.0008%
1978 1,184 21 0.0016%
1979 1,356 16 0.0011%
1980 2,092 5 0.0003%
1981 1,787 6 0.0004%
1982 1,933 6 0.0004%
1983 1,140 27 0.0018%
1984 1,064 32 0.0022%
1985 716 105 0.0069%
1986 801 81 0.0054%
1987 587 191 0.0125%
1988 615 190 0.0122%
1989 627 199 0.0123%
1990 614 224 0.0135%
1991 635 211 0.0129%
1992 574 273 0.0171%
1993 484 392 0.0251%
1994 405 525 0.0342%
1995 354 648 0.043%
1996 283 952 0.0636%
1997 228 1,340 0.0906%
1998 214 1,471 0.0983%
1999 219 1,525 0.1018%
2000 234 1,437 0.0941%
2001 238 1,404 0.0932%
2002 228 1,450 0.0968%
2003 225 1,519 0.0998%
2004 239 1,372 0.09%
2005 244 1,361 0.089%
2006 256 1,335 0.0853%
2007 243 1,463 0.0927%
2008 243 1,492 0.0965%
2009 232 1,543 0.1032%
2010 232 1,503 0.1043%
2011 226 1,569 0.1101%
2012 220 1,634 0.1147%
2013 223 1,612 0.1132%
2014 237 1,530 0.105%
2015 234 1,597 0.1098%
2016 227 1,684 0.1168%
2017 242 1,491 0.1068%
2018 222 1,649 0.12%
2019 229 1,600 0.1182%
2020 242 1,425 0.112%
2021 232 1,563 0.1279%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Griffin

If you like Griffin, you’ll love these other names like Griffin.

What names are variants of Griffin?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Griffin.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Griff

Hooked nose

Latin

Griffen

Hooked nose

Latin

Griffon

Hooked nose

Latin

Gryffen

Hooked nose

Latin

Gryffin

Hooked nose

Latin

Gryphon

Hooked nose

Latin

What names sound like Griffin?

If you like how Griffin sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Griffin.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Garvin

Spear-friend

English

Girvan

Small rough one

Irish

Girven

Small rough one

Irish

Girvin

Small rough one

Irish

Girvon

Small rough one

Irish

Lists With Griffin

Find inspiration in these baby boy name lists featuring the name Griffin.

Siblings of Griffin

Mamas with kids named Griffin also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Paloma

Dove

Latin

Grace

Gracious one

English

McKenna

Son of Cionaodh

Gaelic

Barrett

Quarrelsome

English

Cadence

With rhythm

Latin

Brynn

Hilled area

Welsh

Teagan

Little Poet

Irish

10 Comments

  1. Wanted a endearing yet powerful sounding boys name– also to share his father’s initials of GWY.
    ???

    Reply

  2. Called my 11 month old Griffin but me write it as Griffyn. His name suits him for sure

    Reply

  3. Griffin was the only name my husband and I could agree on, fortunately we decided on the name early on. The name Griffin isn’t terribly popular at this point but not unusual enough to turn heads. It is also a very powerful name with a strong meaning

    Reply

  4. Griffin noble and beautiful like Big Brother Finn

    Reply

  5. We didn’t have a name picked out for sure until our babe made his appearance. I loved Griffin for the strong sound it makes and I could see myself yelling it or hear someone announcing it as my son gets older. It also isn’t super popular.

    Reply

  6. We choose the name for two main reasons. I’m from Wales/England and so I had always liked the idea of using a Welsh name, and had for a long time really liked Griffith. My husband is American so suggested the more Americanized version, Griffin. A friend pointed out in a joking way (before we had told anyone what names we were considering) that we were having a little baby Gryphon as the national animal of the US is an eagle and the national animal of England is a lion and a Gryphon is part eagle, part lion. That kind of felt like fate so we went with it! It really suits my son and I like both Griff and Finn as nicknames though we do tend to call him Griffin most the time. My only dislike is that it is a little similar to Gryffindor, I like Harry Potter but hope he doesn’t get teased for it as he gets older.

    Reply

  7. For my fifth baby, I knew I wanted a name that ended in “n” like the other four babies. At eight months pregnant, we still had not agreed on a name. However my husband and four sons all unanimously wanted to name the fifth boy Griffin. Although it was not on my list, I decided to let them name the baby. It made me feel good to see them all so excited about the baby. The name has definitely grown on me, and I love to call the baby “Fin“.

    Reply

  8. My maiden name 🙂

    Reply

  9. We chose Griffin because we wanted another “strong” name like his brother Barrett and the Welsh meaning we found was “strong lord” We love that is is uncommon and has no real nicknames since we try to avoid them. I dislike that even I can him Griff once in a while. 🙂

    Reply

  10. We love Griffin because it’s a Welsh name without too many consonants. Ha! And we love the lion/eagle hybrid too.

    Reply

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