The Griggs surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 24,819 people carried this name — #1,437 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,900 people counted. That is up 4% from 23,756 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Griggs surname

As an English and Welsh surname

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

An early record he cites: John Grigg, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

His entry covers Grigg, Griggs, Grigs and Grigson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 338 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

153 families named Griggs, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 876 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 8 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 29
New York 22
Connecticut 21
Virginia 18
New Hampshire 16
Massachusetts 15
North Carolina 13
South Carolina 13
Vermont 3
Maryland 3

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

Griggs in American newspapers,
1892–1914.

Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Griggs
The Portland Daily Press 1892-01-02
Newspaper page from Yellowstone Monitor carrying the name Griggs
Yellowstone Monitor 1914-06-25
Newspaper page from Yellowstone Monitor carrying the name Griggs
Yellowstone Monitor 1914-07-09

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 224,707 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Griggs in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

14,553 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Griggs. The most, 2,748, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Tasmania, at 3.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Tasmania 3,536
South Australia 3,497
Queensland 2,705
New South Wales 2,124
Victoria 1,941
Western Australia 600
ACT (Canberra) 66
Northern Territory 52

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

Who carried it

People named Griggs,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Alice Maynard Griggs
    Alice Maynard Griggs d. 1939 · writer
  • Thomas Thurston Griggs
    Thomas Thurston Griggs 1818–1890 · politician
  • Samuel Moulton Griggs
    Samuel Moulton Griggs 1822–1886 · politician
  • Clark Robinson Griggs
    Clark Robinson Griggs 1824–1915 · politician
  • Chauncey Wright Griggs
    Chauncey Wright Griggs 1831–1910 · politician
  • John Griggs 1552–1598 · carpenter

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Griggs,
in the records of 6 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 States1,532 records

1,532 records of the Griggs name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 841
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 306
  • Other U.S. records 385
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ralph J. Griggs

    Born 1918 in California. Enlisted 1942 at San Francisco; clerk from San Francisco County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1990, buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Harley Franklin Griggs

    Born 1944; from Darlington, South Carolina. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joseph Griggs

    Arrived at New York in 1882 aboard the Republic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 40; laborer. From England.

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

Showing 3 of 1,532 records for Griggs in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (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, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia731 records

731 records of the Griggs name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 452
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 130
  • Other Australian records 149
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Augustus Griggs

    Died 1924 in Main Road, Glenorchy, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1924.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jane Mary Griggs

    Born 1876 in Franklin, Tasmania. Married 1899 in Franklin, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 Joseph Griggs

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Royal George, arriving 1828.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 731 records for Griggs in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada18 records

18 records of the Griggs name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 6
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 4
  • Other Canadian records 8
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record August Griggs

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Bacher & Atlee, bound for Port Roseway, aged 18.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Carl Llewellyn Griggs

    Buried in 1975 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 87.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  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 Henry Griggs

    Died in service in 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 18 records for Griggs in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · 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 Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom17 records

17 records of the Griggs name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 15
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Griggs

    Norfolk Regiment. 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. Griggs

    Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

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

    Dorsetshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 17 records for Griggs in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 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).

New Zealand4 records

4 records of the Griggs name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 3
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Ellen Griggs

    Died 1967, aged 84; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William George Griggs

    Buried in 1933 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 69.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Murray Richard Griggs

    Died 1976, aged 19; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Griggs in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Griggs 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 Carol Ann Griggs

    Born 1945 in Great Britain; died 1995 in Cesson-Sévigné (Ille-et-Vilaine).

    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 Griggs.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Griggs 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.

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