Griffen
Masculine · “Strong lord”
Griffen is Griffin with the last vowel changed, and Griffin is a Welsh name and a mythical beast at once. Gruffudd was a real Welsh royal name; the griffin is the eagle-lion of medieval heraldry; and the two have been feeding each other for eight hundred years.
How old is the name Griffen?
Griffen first appears in US birth records in 1985 — 40 years ago. The typical Griffen alive today was born around 2004, making them about 21 years old. About 1,800 people named Griffen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Griffen most popular?
Griffen peaked in 1999, reaching #1174 nationally. Today it ranks #5399, 4,225 places below that high. See the whole 1999 chart.
Where it comes from
From Gruffudd to Griffen
The story of Griffen
Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ruled all of Wales briefly in the eleventh century and Gruffudd ap Cynan founded the dynasty of Gwynedd; the name was among the most important in medieval Wales. Latin documents rendered it Griffinus, which pulled it toward the mythical beast, and the surname Griffin resulted. American use of Griffin as a first name climbed steeply through the 1990s, and Griffen appears alongside Griffyn and Gryphon as its variants, peaking in 1999 — a year or two after the parent name's own rise began in earnest.
Meaningscholars disagree
Strong lord, if from Gruffudd
Two sources feed the modern name. Welsh Gruffudd, borne by several Welsh princes, is generally read with a second element meaning lord and a first element that is disputed. Separately the heraldic griffin, from Greek gryps, a hooked beak, gave a surname and later a first name. The two have influenced each other since the Middle Ages, when Latin scribes wrote Welsh Gruffudd as Griffinus. Neither can be assigned to a modern bearer.
How the name formed
- Gruffudd
- Griffinus
- Griffin
- Griffen
Related forms: Gruffudd · Griffin · Griffinus
Pronouncing Griffen
GRIF-in
Two syllables, stress on the first, identical to Griffin. The final vowel is reduced in both spellings, which is why the variant exists.
Nicknames for Griffen
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1985
- Most boys named
- 1999110 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1174reached in 1999
- Change vs 2024
- 0.0%17 in 2025, from 17
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Griffen in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Gruffudd in Welsh — related form
- Griffin in English — spelling variant
- Griffinus in Latin — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Minnesota.
Griffens among us
people named Griffen are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 100,475 born in 2025 was named Griffen
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Astor test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Griffen's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Astor climbed just as high around 1912, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Astor's path sketches the road Griffen is walking now.
Griffen 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 scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Griffen beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Griffen in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It has a genuine Welsh royal history and a heraldic beast behind it at once.
- Griff is a strong and ready short form.
- Everyone can say it on first sight.
- Griffin is the standard spelling and will be written for it.
- The Welsh original is pronounced GRIF-ith, which is a different name to the ear.
- Griffin, Griffen, Griffyn and Gryphon are four spellings of one sound.
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What they receive
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Griffen
Masculine · #5399 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Griffens are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,800 people named Griffen are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Griffen in 2025?
- Griffen ranks #5399 among US boy names in 2025, with 17 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Griffen?
- About 1 in every 100,475 US boys born in 2025 was named Griffen — 17 in all.
- Will my child share the name Griffen with classmates?
- Griffen will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Griffen
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Frazier#5399 · Franz#5399 · Demetrio#5399 · Rolan#5399 · Rayvon#5399 · Riddick#5399 · Laramie#5399 · Soloman#5399
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Griffen? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Griffen and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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