# Griffith (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/griffith/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Welsh [in turn originating as a patronymic].

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Welsh |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 78,260 |
| US rank (2010) | 414 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,945 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.1% (77,429 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡɹɪ.fɪθ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Anglicized from Welsh Gruffudd.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Griffith in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 84% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 10% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Griffith in the United States, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, The Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda.

## People named Griffith

- D. W. Griffith, American filmmaker (1875–1948)
- Melanie Griffith, American actress
- Florence Griffith Joyner, American track and field athlete (1959-1998)
- Andy Griffith, American actor, comedian, television producer, singer, and writer (1926–2012)
- Corinne Griffith, American actress, film producer, author (1894–1979)
- Frederick Griffith, British bacteriologist
- Emile Griffith, American boxer (1938–2013)
- Thomas Ian Griffith, American actor, screenwriter, producer, musician, and martial artist (born 1960)
- Yolanda Griffith, American basketball player (born 1970)
- Nanci Griffith, American singer-songwriter (1953-2021)
- Nicola Griffith, British-American writer (b. 1960)
- Gordon Griffith, American actor and film producer (1907–1958)

and 22 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Griffeth, Griffiths, Grafton, Gravitt, Garabedian, Garbutt, Gravatt.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.