Boy name · Welsh
Griffin
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: Latinized form of Gruffudd, possibly strong lordGriffin is a boy's name that comes from Welsh and means "Latinized form of Gruffudd, possibly strong lord". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Latinized form of Gruffudd, possibly strong lord
- Origin
- Welsh
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #222 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Griffin
As a boy's name, Griffin comes from Welsh and means "Latinized form of Gruffudd, possibly strong lord". It is used in English.
Griffin is also a surname: the 126th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 191,130 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Griffin on our names that mean strong list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Griffin on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Griffin on 2 lists.
“Half eagle, half lion, all legend”
From Nicknames that start with G, cool nicknames that start with G
“Half eagle, half lion, all guardian”
From Unique dog names, mythical creature names
How popular is Griffin?
- US rank in 2025
- #222
- 1,627 babies, 953 per million boys
- Best rank
- #214 in 2023
- 1,728 babies that year
- Babies since 1881
- At least 51,051
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 32 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 35 per million |
| 1900s | 45 per million |
| 1910s | 26 per million |
| 1920s | 20 per million |
| 1930s | 14 per million |
| 1940s | 12 per million |
| 1950s | 9 per million |
| 1960s | 8 per million |
| 1970s | 22 per million |
| 1980s | 73 per million |
| 1990s | 408 per million |
| 2000s | 729 per million |
| 2010s | 853 per million |
| 2020s | 926 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #230 | #243 | #224 | #232 | #241 | #232 | #230 | #214 | #223 | #222 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names with a similar meaning
- OscarPossibly deer friend (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- EstherPossibly star (Persian, girl)
- ValentinaStrong, healthy (Latin, girl)
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- ValentinStrong, healthy (Latin, boy)
- ValeriaTo be strong (Latin, girl)
- AilaniPossibly from Hawaiian ʻAilani, to rule as chief, or Aylín (Hawaiian, girl)
- AilanyVariant of Ailani, possibly Hawaiian, to rule as chief (Hawaiian, girl)
- ArlethVariant of Arlette, from Herleva, possibly army and legacy (Germanic, girl)
- ArmstrongStrong in the arm (English, boy)
- AtlasPossibly enduring, from Greek tlao, to endure (Greek, boy)
- EdenPossibly delight, pleasure (Hebrew, unisex)
- IphigeniaStrong-born (Greek, girl)
- JessePossibly gift, or existence (Hebrew, boy)
- NayeliPossibly from Zapotec words meaning I love you or open (Zapotec, girl)
Middle names for Griffin
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Welsh
- DylanTide, flow (Welsh, boy)
- HowellEminent, conspicuous (Welsh, boy)
- LloydGrey (Welsh, boy)
- LynnLake (Welsh, unisex)
- OwenAnglicized form of Owain, possibly from Latin Eugenius (Welsh, boy)
- ReeseArdor, enthusiasm (Welsh, unisex)
- RhysArdor, enthusiasm (Welsh, boy)
- WynnFair, white, blessed (Welsh, unisex)
- BedwyrWelsh form of Bedivere, a knight of King Arthur (Welsh, boy)
- BerwynWhite head (Welsh, boy)
- BleddynLittle wolf (Welsh, boy)
- BowenFrom a surname meaning son of Owain (Welsh, boy)
- BrynA hill (Welsh, boy)
- CadellLittle battle (Welsh, boy)
- CadfaelBattle prince (Welsh, boy)
- CadfanBattle peak (Welsh, boy)
- CadocBattle (Welsh, boy)
- CadwaladrLeader of the battle (Welsh, boy)
Griffin: common questions
What does the name Griffin mean?
Griffin comes from Welsh and means "Latinized form of Gruffudd, possibly strong lord". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Griffin a boy or girl name?
Griffin is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 21 girls and 1,627 boys in the US were named Griffin, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Griffin come from?
Griffin comes from Welsh and means "Latinized form of Gruffudd, possibly strong lord". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Griffin?
Griffin ranked #222 in the US in 2025, with 1,627 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Griffin?
Middle names that flow well with Griffin include Beau, Cedar, Lance, Lane and Mark. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.