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Griffith Family History

Griffith Surname Meaning

Welsh (Carmarthenshire and western England): from the Old Welsh personal name Gruffudd.

Old Welsh Grip(p)iud is composed of the elements grip of uncertain significance.

Additionally, it includes iud, which means ‘chief lord’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Griffith family from?

You can see how Griffith families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Griffith family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Griffith families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 3,018 Griffith families living in Caernarvonshire. This was about 27% of all the recorded Griffith's in United Kingdom. Caernarvonshire had the highest population of Griffith families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Griffith surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Griffith ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Farmer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Griffith. 10% of Griffith men worked as a Farmer and 60% of Griffith women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Griffith were Builders Labourer and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Griffith | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Farmer
    10%
  • General Labourer
    8%
  • Bank Clerk
    3%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    60%
  • Private Means
    4%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Domestic Duties
    2%

What Griffith family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 504,000 census records available for the last name Griffith. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Griffith census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Griffith

Passenger Lists

There are 56,000 immigration records available for the last name Griffith. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Griffith immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 88,000 military records available for the last name Griffith. For the veterans among your Griffith ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Griffith military records

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