boy's name
Griffin
GRIF-in
- Origin Welsh
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 56,873
the United States
#222
2025 births
Griffin peaked in 2023, more recently than any other name in this group, and it is not named for the beast — the Welsh Gruffudd came first, and the resemblance to the griffin is coincidence.
- Griffin is a name of Welsh origin.
- Peaked in 2023, when 1,750 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,012 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Griffin over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 35 |
| 1890s | 40 |
| 1900s | 61 |
| 1910s | 175 |
| 1920s | 222 |
| 1930s | 149 |
| 1940s | 177 |
| 1950s | 182 |
| 1960s | 160 |
| 1970s | 371 |
| 1980s | 1,421 |
| 1990s | 8,119 |
| 2000s | 14,723 |
| 2010s | 16,258 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 9,716 |
What Griffin means
Griffin means lord or prince, from the Welsh. The mythological creature is a separate word entirely, and the two only converged in English spelling, which is why the beast and the name look alike by accident.
Where Griffin comes from
Griffin anglicizes the Welsh Gruffudd, whose first element is obscure and whose second, udd, means a lord or prince. Gruffudd ap Llywelyn was the only Welsh ruler to hold all of Wales, briefly, in the eleventh century. The mythical griffin is unrelated, coming through the Latin gryphus from the Greek gryps, hook-nosed — the two words simply arrived at similar spellings. An Irish Ó Gríobhtha contributes a second line.
Griffin in use
Griffin peaked in the United States in 2023, when 1,750 babies were registered — the most recent peak in this group — and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 222nd in the United States on 1,648 births and 1042nd in England and Wales on 29, across 56,873 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1881, but almost all of its volume is post-1990.
How popular is Griffin?
In 2025, Griffin was given to 1,648 babies in the United States, ranking #222 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Griffin is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Griffin
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Griffin also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Griffin over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Griffin
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Griffin in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Welsh
- Gruffudd
Sibling names for Griffin
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Griffin — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Griffin
What does the name Griffin mean?
Lord or prince — from the Welsh Gruffudd, whose second element is udd, a lord.
Is it named after the mythical griffin?
No. That word comes from the Greek gryps, hook-nosed, and is unrelated.
Who was Gruffudd ap Llywelyn?
The only Welsh ruler to hold all of Wales, briefly, in the eleventh century.
When did Griffin peak?
2023 in the United States — the most recent peak in this group.
How popular is the name Griffin?
In 2025, Griffin was given to 1,648 babies in the United States, ranking #222 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Griffin a girl's or a boy's name?
Griffin is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Griffin?
Griffin has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Griffin?
Griffin is usually shortened to Griff.
Is Griffin a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Griffin currently ranks #222 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.