Griffin
Masculine · “Lord' or 'chief' (Welsh)”
Griffin is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 51,051 boys against 758 girls since 1880. See Griffin as a girl name
Griffin arrives by two roads that met in English: the Welsh name Gruffudd, worn by princes of medieval Wales, and the winged, lion-bodied griffin of Greek myth and medieval heraldry. It has been on the US records since the earliest years such records were kept, and it still turns up in kindergartens — familiar to everyone, crowded nowhere. The two hard syllables land cleanly, and the built-in Griff has been doing short-form duty for centuries.
How old is the name Griffin?
Griffin first appears in US birth records in 1881 — 144 years ago. The typical Griffin alive today was born around 2011, making them about 14 years old. About 49,500 people named Griffin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Griffin most popular?
Griffin peaked in 2023, reaching #214 nationally. Today it ranks #222, 8 places below that high. See the whole 2023 chart.
Where it comes from
From Gruffudd to Griffin
The story of Griffin
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. Irish families of Ó Gríobhtha anglicized their name to Griffin as well, so the surname came to the United States from both Wales and Ireland. The move from surname to first name is the American part of the story, and it is the reason Griffin now sits beside other last-name firsts on class lists.
Meaningscholars disagree
'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.
How the name formed
- Gruffudd
- Gruffydd
- Griffith
- Griffin
Related forms: Gruffudd · Gruffydd · Griffith · Gríofa · Gryphus
Pronouncing 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.
Nicknames for Griffin
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
- 1881
- Most boys named
- 20251,627 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #214reached in 2023
- Change vs 2022
- +5.6%1,627 in 2025, from 1,540
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.
Griffin in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Gruffudd in Welsh — related form
- Gruffydd in Welsh — spelling variant
- Griffith in English — related form
- Gríofa in Irish — related form
- Gryphus in Latin — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Ohio, Texas.
Griffins among us
people named Griffin are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 1,050 born in 2025 was named Griffin
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 Dallas test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Griffin's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Dallas climbed just as high around 1995, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Dallas's path sketches the road Griffin is walking now.
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 scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Griffin is headed
Griffin should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Griffin beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Griffin in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- 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.
- Documented in Welsh, Irish and English usage, which makes it recognizable across several English-speaking countries.
- 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.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Griffin to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Griffin? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Griffin
Masculine · #222 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Griffins are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 49,500 people named Griffin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Griffin in 2025?
- Griffin ranks #222 among US boy names in 2025, with 1,627 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Griffin?
- About 1 in every 1,050 US boys born in 2025 was named Griffin — 1,627 in all.
- Will my child share the name Griffin with classmates?
- Griffin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Griffin
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kevin#221 · Oscar#223 · Edward#224 · Cohen#225 · Tyler#219 · Joel#219 · Kairo#226 · Rafael#218
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Griffin? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Griffin and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Or jump into a head-to-head
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
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
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle