The Giffin surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,124 people carried this name — #8,028 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 71,400 people counted. That is up 5% from 3,921 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Giffin surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Geoffrey’.

An early record he cites: Willelmus Gyffon, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Giffen and Giffin.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 316 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

20 families named Giffin, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 132 people lived in those households, 6.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 14
Vermont 2
Massachusetts 2
New York 1
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 241 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Giffin in American newspapers,
1897–1914.

Newspaper page from Foster's Daily Democrat carrying the name Giffin
Foster's Daily Democrat 1897-02-12
Newspaper page from Fergus County Democrat carrying the name Giffin
Fergus County Democrat 1913-06-17
Newspaper page from The Daily Gate City carrying the name Giffin
The Daily Gate City 1914-06-11

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 12,757 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Giffin in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1970s.

3,059 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Giffin. The most, 698, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,042
Queensland 591
Victoria 207
South Australia 83
Western Australia 67
Tasmania 62
ACT (Canberra) 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Giffin.

Who carried it

People named Giffin,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ron Giffin 1942–2021 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Giffin,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States315 records

315 records of the Giffin name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 137
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 55
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 53
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 38
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 18
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 9
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 5
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Melvin O. Giffin

    Born 1917 in Kansas. Enlisted 1941 at Los Angeles, California; bank clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Goleta Cemetery, Santa Barbara, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Giffin

    Arrived at New York in 1846 aboard the Garrick from Liverpool, aged 22; servant. From Great Britain.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Robert Giffin

    U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1941, died 2001; buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 315 records for Giffin in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Canada564 records

564 records of the Giffin name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 526
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 21
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 7
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 7
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Fred Dennis Giffin

    Buried in 1999 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 54.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Alexander Giffin

    Died 1959 in Osborne Harbour, Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record William Ira Giffin

    Died in service in 1943.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 564 records for Giffin in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia118 records

118 records of the Giffin name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 50
  • Tasmanian Names Index 22
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 19
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 15
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 12
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Giffin

    Died 1887 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 47. Will registered in Tasmania in 1887.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Giffin

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Larkins, arriving 1817; ticket of leave 1827. Native of Staff.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joshua Giffin

    Arrived in Victoria in 1858 aboard the Norfolk, aged 40; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 118 records for Giffin in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Giffin name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record D. Giffin

    Royal Irish Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Giffin

    Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France2 records

2 records of the Giffin name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marguerite Helene Giffin

    Born 1912 in Léognan; died 1990 in Le Bouscat (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Elisabeth Jennings Giffin

    Born 1901 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Villefranche-sur-Mer (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Giffin.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Giffin is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Giffin volume
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