Head to head · Boys' names
Grant vs Griffin
#228 vs #222 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Griffin is a whisker ahead (#222 vs #228 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Grant and Griffin each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Grant #247, Griffin #856 — Grant higher
- 1890s: Grant #220, Griffin #977 — Grant higher
- 1900s: Grant #247, Griffin #942 — Grant higher
- 1910s: Grant #271, Griffin #1410 — Grant higher
- 1920s: Grant #297, Griffin #1643 — Grant higher
- 1930s: Grant #329, Griffin #1898 — Grant higher
- 1940s: Grant #314, Griffin #1738 — Grant higher
- 1950s: Grant #303, Griffin #1854 — Grant higher
- 1960s: Grant #294, Griffin #2102 — Grant higher
- 1970s: Grant #278, Griffin #1756 — Grant higher
- 1980s: Grant #186, Griffin #911 — Grant higher
- 1990s: Grant #144, Griffin #398 — Grant higher
- 2000s: Grant #142, Griffin #238 — Grant higher
- 2010s: Grant #170, Griffin #231 — Grant higher
- 2020s: Grant #224, Griffin #227 — Grant higher
Grant stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Grant | Griffin |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #247 | #856 |
| 1890s | #220 | #977 |
| 1900s | #247 | #942 |
| 1910s | #271 | #1410 |
| 1920s | #297 | #1643 |
| 1930s | #329 | #1898 |
| 1940s | #314 | #1738 |
| 1950s | #303 | #1854 |
| 1960s | #294 | #2102 |
| 1970s | #278 | #1756 |
| 1980s | #186 | #911 |
| 1990s | #144 | #398 |
| 2000s | #142 | #238 |
| 2010s | #170 | #231 |
| 2020s | #224 | #227 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Grant
tall, large
From Anglo-Norman French graunt (Old French grand), used as a byname for a big or tall man — the same root behind the modern French word grand.
grand (Old French) → le Graunt (Anglo-Norman byname) → Grant / Grannd (Scottish surname) → Grant (given name)
How it traveled
The name starts as a description: medieval clerks in England and Scotland recorded men as le Graunt, from the Anglo-Norman French word for tall or large, and the byname hardened into a hereditary surname. In the Scottish Highlands it became Grant — Grannd in Gaelic — the name of a clan long established in Strathspey, which carried it into the emigration waves that reached North America.
Griffin
'Lord' or 'chief' (Welsh), or the griffin of heraldry
Two genuine sources sit behind the same spelling. As an anglicization of Welsh Gruffudd, the second element is udd, 'lord, chief'; the first element is not securely explained, though it is often read as 'strong'. Separately, Griffin came into English as a surname from Latin gryphus, the griffin — half eagle, half lion — a creature of Greek myth that became one of the standard beasts of medieval coats of arms. The Irish surname Ó Gríobhtha carries the same beast-word, gríobh.
Gruffudd → Gruffydd → Griffith → Griffin
How it traveled
Gruffudd was a name of Welsh rulers through the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and English clerks who had to write it down flattened it toward Griffith and Griffin. At the same time, quite independently, Griffin was spreading as a surname from the griffin of heraldry — the eagle-headed lion that guarded treasure in Greek storytelling and later stood on shields across Europe.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Grant
GRANT
One syllable, rhyming with plant. No competing pronunciations in English, and no silent letters to explain.
- Granty — Informal and affectionate, mostly from friends and teammates rather than family; more common in British and Australian usage than American.
- G — Casual initial-only nickname among peers; not used in any formal setting.
Griffin
GRIF-in
Two syllables, stress on the first, the same as the mythical creature. Americans say it one way; the Welsh source name Gruffudd is quite different, roughly GRIF-ith.
- Griff — The standard short form, used informally and also found on its own as a given name and a surname.
- Griffy — Affectionate, mostly used within families and in early childhood.
- Fin — Occasional, taken from the end of the name rather than the start; overlaps with the separate name Finn.
Who has carried each name
Grant
Grant Wood (b. 1891) — Painted American Gothic
Grant Gustin (b. 1990) — TV's The Flash
Griffin
No documented entry for Griffin yet.
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Grant if you want…
- a name holding steadyGrant is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesGrant is 1 syllable to Griffin's 2
- a long American recordGrant was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Griffin if you want…
- a name on the way upup 19 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itGriffin runs 2 syllables, Grant 1
- a newer arrivalGriffin entered the US charts in 1881
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Grant
Strengths
- One syllable and one spelling: people get it right the first time they hear it, and there is nothing to correct over the phone.
- A documented surname in England and Scotland since the Middle Ages, and a Highland clan name — a long paper trail behind a short word.
- Reads equally well in a first-name or last-name slot, which suits formal use, nicknamed use and everything in between.
To consider
- It resists shortening. A one-syllable name is what he will be called for life, with no built-in cozy version to fall back on — some families like that, others miss having one.
- Grant is also an ordinary English word: grant money, grant applications, granted. Expect the odd pun, and check how it sits with your surname if that word could land awkwardly.
- Because it still reads as a surname to many people, first-and-last combinations can sound reversible — Grant Cameron, Cameron Grant. Saying the full name aloud a few times settles the question quickly.
Griffin
Strengths
- Everyone already knows how to spell it, because the griffin is a common word in English and Griffin is a widespread surname.
- Griff is a ready-made short form with a long history, so the name works formally and informally without extra effort.
- On US records continuously for well over a century, with no sharp fashion spike to date it to one narrow stretch of years.
To consider
- The griffin is also a heraldic beast, and children will find that out. For most families that is a small pleasure; for a few it invites the kind of nickname that comes with wings and claws attached.
- It is a very common surname, so Griffin as a first name can be read backwards on forms and in roll calls, especially paired with a surname that also works as a first name.
- Griffin, Griffen and Griffyn all circulate, and the Welsh Griffith sits close by, so expect the occasional correction even though your spelling is the standard one.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Grant
25%chance Grant feels dated by 2040
Grant peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
Griffin
40%chance Griffin feels dated by 2040
Griffin sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Grant and Griffin in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Grant and Griffin?
Put both to the vote.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Grant and Griffin — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Grant or Griffin — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Grant or Griffin?
- Griffin, in 2025: Griffin ranked #222 with 1,627 babies; Grant ranked #228 with 1,555 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Grant or Griffin?
- Griffin. Over the last five years Grant moved down 15 places; Griffin moved up 19 places.
- Which is the older name, Grant or Griffin?
- Grant was already in use when US records began in 1880; Griffin entered the US charts in 1881. On the American record, Grant is the older name.
- How many people are named Grant and Griffin?
- About 119,000 people named Grant are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 49,500 people named Griffin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Grants or Griffins in the classroom?
- Grant will almost certainly be the only one in school. Griffin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Grant, Griffin and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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