Griffith (name)

{{Short description|Name of Welsh origin}}

{{See also|Gruffudd}}

Griffith, and its Welsh form {{lang|cy|Gruffudd}} or {{lang|cy|Gruffydd}}, is a name of Welsh origin that may be used as a personal name or surname, with or without the s as in Griffiths.{{cite book |last1=Morgan |first1=T. J. |last2=Morgan |first2=Prys |year=1985 |author-link1= T. J. Morgan |author-link2=Prys Morgan |chapter=Orthography of Welsh Surnames 5-8: Gruffydd |title=Welsh Surnames |location=Cardiff |publisher=Qualitex Printing Limited |isbn=0-7083-0880-5 |pages=103–105, 160}} Second element iudd as a noun means 'lord', found on p. 160 in the entry for "Maredudd". The name has many variations as a result of the natural evolution of the name in Welsh, as well as the translation of the name from Welsh into both Latin and English. The anglicized and Welsh forms are treated as different spellings of the same name in Wales. The name can also be associated with the Irish surname Griffin.{{citation needed|date=July 2016|reason=It is possible that either a) they share a common origin, or b) among various waves of Irish immigrants/invaders, the Irish name was confused with the Welsh one. Either of these hypotheses requires reliable sourcing.}}

Anglo-Norman scribes rendered Griffidd and Gruffydd as Griffith.