Griffin
Ó Gríobhtha · descendant of Gríobhtha
Griffin is Ó Gríobhtha in Irish, said oh GREE-fa, and means descendant of Gríobhtha.
Gríobh is a griffin, the beast on the coats of arms. The Clare family were a branch of the O’Briens, and the English surname Griffin is a separate thing entirely.
How it changes
- A man: Ó Gríobhtha
- His daughter: Ní Ghríobhtha
- A woman who married into it: Bean Uí Ghríobhtha
- The family together: Uí Ghríobhtha
Where it comes from
Clare and Kerry
Also spelt
Griffin, Griffen, Griffy
A name, not a pedigree
This is where the name came from, which is not the same as where you came from. Names were translated, anglicised, taken on by tenants and neighbours, and carried in by settlers who were no relation to the family that started them. To follow your own line, the 1901 and 1911 censuses are free and searchable, and give the county each person was born in.