2000
#9,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Griffey
Derived from the Welsh name Gruffydd, meaning "lord" or "prince," or from Griffin, a mythological creature with eagle and lion features.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,363 Americans carry the last name Griffey. That puts it at #10,451 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,919 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Griffey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Griffey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,919
Census rank
#10,451
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,933 bearers of the surname Griffey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10451st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Griffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Griffey
The surname GRIFFEY is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old French word "griffon," which referred to a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle.
The name is thought to have originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who possessed certain characteristics associated with the griffon, such as strength, courage, or fierceness. Alternatively, it could have been a reference to someone who worked with or kept griffons, perhaps as a heraldic symbol or as part of their trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GRIFFEY can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1195, where a person named Richard Grifin is mentioned. This early spelling variation suggests that the name may have evolved from an earlier form before taking on its more modern spelling.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which lists a Robert Griffyn. This spelling variation further illustrates the evolution of the name over time.
During the medieval period, the GRIFFEY name was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was John Griffy, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London, who lived in the late 14th century and was involved in the wool trade.
Another historically significant bearer of the name was Sir Ralph Gruffydd, a Welsh soldier and landowner who fought alongside King Edward I during the conquest of Wales in the late 13th century. He was awarded lands in Anglesey for his services to the crown.
In the 16th century, the name GRIFFEY appears in various parish records and registers across England. One notable example is Thomas Griffey, a clergyman and scholar who served as the Rector of St. Michael's Church in Cambridge in the mid-1500s.
Fast-forwarding to the 17th century, the name GRIFFEY is found in the records of the Virginia Company of London, which established colonies in North America. One such individual was William Griffey, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 as an indentured servant and later became a landowner and tobacco planter.
The 18th century saw the rise of a prominent GRIFFEY family in Kentucky, with members such as Walter Griffey, a Revolutionary War veteran, and his son, Walter Griffey Jr., who served as a judge and legislator in the early years of the state's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Griffey
Among Census respondents with the surname Griffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Griffey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Griffey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 2,427
- Black or African American7.8% · 228
- Two or more races5.4% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Griffey
Griffey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,035
+41 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 621 places
2020
#10,451
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,933
-102 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,939 | 2,994 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,560 | 3,035 | 1.03 | +41 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 621 places |
| 2020 | #10,451 | 2,933 | 0.98 | -102 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 109 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Griffey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,560 | #10,451 | 1.0% |
| Count | 3,035 | 2,933 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.98 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Griffey bearers went from 3,035 to 2,933 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,560 to #10,451.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Griffey
FAQ
Griffey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Griffey?
Name Census estimates that about 3,363 living Americans carry the surname Griffey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,919 residents.
How common is Griffey?
Griffey ranks #10,451 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,933 people with the surname Griffey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,363), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Griffey.
Has Griffey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Griffey went from 3,035 recorded bearers to 2,933. That is a decrease of 102 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,560 to #10,451.
What does the Census say about the background of Griffey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Griffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Griffey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (2,427 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Griffey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Griffey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Griffey mean?
Derived from the Welsh name Gruffydd, meaning "lord" or "prince," or from Griffin, a mythological creature with eagle and lion features. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Griffey (0.98 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Griffey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.