Griffith (surname)

Family name
name =Griffith


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meaning ="lord with a (?)strong grip"
region =Wales
origin =Welsh
related names =Gruffydd, Griffiths
footnotes =

Griffith is a surname of Welsh origin which derives from the given name Gruffudd. The prefix "Griff" (originally "Gruff") may mean "strong grip" and the suffix, "udd", means "chief"/"lord". The earliest recorded example of the surname was "Gryffyth" in 1295, [cite web |url=http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Griffith |title=Surname: Griffith |accessdate=2008-04-07 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date=2007 |work= |publisher=surnamedb.com] , but the given name is older. People with the surname, or its variants include:

*Alan Arnold Griffith, British engineer specializing in fracture mechanics and aircraft gas turbine engines
*Andy Griffith, American actor, writer, producer
*Arthur Griffith, Irish Republican leader
*Clark Griffith, MLB Hall of Famer
*D.W. Griffith, American film director
*Edward Griffith, British naturalist
*Ellen Griffith. grandmother of LL Cool J
*Emile Griffith, first World Boxing Champion
*Francis Llewellyn Griffith, British Egyptologist (1862-1934)
*Frank Kingsley Griffith, British Liberal politician and judge
*Frederick Griffith who discovered a transforming principle, later shown to be DNA
*George Griffith, writer
*Griffith J. Griffith, a Welsh-American industrialist known for donating land for Griffith Park in Los Angeles
*Ioan Gruffudd, Welsh actor
*John Griffith, a number of people called John Griffith
*Justin Griffith, NFL fullback who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders
*Melanie Griffith, American actress
*Nanci Griffith, American singer, guitarist, songwriter
*Nathaniel Griffith, fifth Paramount Chief of Lesotho (1913–1939)
*Sir Samuel Griffith, an Australian politician and jurist who had a large part in composing the Constitution of Australia
*Ralph T.H. Griffith, Indologist
*Virgil "Romanpoet" Griffith, an American hacker
*Xiomara Griffith, Venezuelan judoka

ee also

* Griffiths
* Gruffudd/Gruffydd

References