The Griffis surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,309 people carried this name — #4,278 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 35,500 people counted. That is up 5% from 7,895 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

25 families named Griffis, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 143 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 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

North Carolina 8
South Carolina 6
Maryland 3
Virginia 3
New York 2
Pennsylvania 2
Massachusetts 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. 243 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Griffis in American newspapers,
1871–1924.

Newspaper page from Grant County Herald carrying the name Griffis
Grant County Herald 1871-10-31
Newspaper page from The Indianapolis Times carrying the name Griffis
The Indianapolis Times 1923-12-14
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Griffis
Evening Star 1924-01-31

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Griffis in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

812 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Griffis. The most, 206, 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 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 591
Victoria 70
Queensland 55
Western Australia 38
South Australia 28
Tasmania 24
ACT (Canberra) 5

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

Who carried it

People named Griffis,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Elliot Griffis
    William Elliot Griffis 1843–1928 · writer
  • Si Griffis
    Si Griffis 1883–1950 · ice hockey player
  • Si Griffis
    Si Griffis 1883–1950 · ice hockey player
  • Stanton Griffis
    Stanton Griffis 1887–1974 · businessperson
  • C.N. Griffis
    C.N. Griffis 1889–1978 · director

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Griffis,
in the records of 4 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 States439 records

439 records of the Griffis name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 264
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 87
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 35
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 19
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 14
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 11
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 6
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael Daniel Griffis

    Born 1948; from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Lam Dong, South Vietnam. Buried at Philadelphia National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ethridge H. Griffis

    Born 1920 in Georgia. Enlisted 1940 at Fort Benning; farm hand from Cook County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War; died 2001, buried at Florida National Cemetery, Florida.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1871 aboard the City of Antwerp from Liverpool, aged 45; mechanic. From Wales.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 439 records for Griffis in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia21 records

21 records of the Griffis name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 7
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 7
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 6
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. 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 John Griffis

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Dick, arriving 1821; ticket of leave 1826. Native of London.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1887 aboard the Orient, aged 27.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record John Griffis

    Left Hobart in 1827 aboard the Prince of Denmark, bound for Port Jackson, as a seaman.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 21 records for Griffis in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada10 records

10 records of the Griffis name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 4
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Griffis

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Scan, landing at Quebec, bound for Guelph, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Richard Pierson Griffis

    Buried in 1990 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 89.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William Edward Griffis

    Died 1895 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 10 records for Griffis in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Griffis name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Catharina Griffis

    Baptised in 1708 in Roosendaal.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Griffis.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Griffis 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 Griffis volume
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