A Welsh surname, the Griffith family name comes from the name ‘Gruffudd’ or “Gruffydd‘. It means one with a strong grip as one held by a lord or chief. A couple early spellings for Griffith were ‘Gryffyth’ and ‘Grippiud’ back in the late 13th century in Wales.

Spellings variations for Griffith include Gruffydd, McGraffin, McGriffin, Gruffudd, Guto, Griffis, Griffen and Griffiths.

The family name of Griffith is scattered across England and Wales, but primarily in along the western coast of England and Wales. The locations are Caernvarvonshire, Anglesey, Merionethshire and Glamorgan in Wales and then Lancashire and London in England.

In Scotland Griffith families are founded in Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and Midlothian counties.

The Griffith surname is scattered across several southern and mid-western states within the United States. The areas with the greater populations include Pennsylvania, North Carolina,. New York, Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio, Maryland, Kansas, Texas and California.

Famous: Andy Griffith (actor, writer and producer), Emile A. Griffith (a boxing world champion from the U. S. Virgin Islands), Bill Griffith (cartoonist), Hugh Griffith (actor from Wales), John G. Griffith (football, baseball and basketball coach at several universities), Melanie Griffith (actress) and Frederick Griffith (scientist in developing information about DNA).