Dog name guide

Griffin

The meaning, background and naming story of Griffin.

Letters
7
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
G

Meaning and background

The story behind Griffin

Griffin has two distinguishable sources as a given name. One is a Latinised form of the Welsh personal name Gruffudd; another is the English word for the legendary animal with an eagle's head and wings and a lion's body. The creature-word ultimately comes through Greek and Latin. These histories happen to meet in the same spelling, so 'strong lord' and other tidy single translations should not be imposed on every Griffin.

Origin
English given name used both as a Latinised form of Welsh Gruffudd and from the English word for the mythical griffin, ultimately related to Greek gryps. Source
Pronunciation
English /ˈɡrɪf.ɪn/ (GRIF-in). Source

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About Griffin

Recorded as a dog’s name

Griffin appears in 18 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.

How to read this count

These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.

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Pronunciation and rhythm

/ɡɹɪfɪn/

US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.

Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.

View dictionary notation

/ɡɹɪfɪn/ · primary stress on syllable 1
G R IH1 F IH0 N

These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.

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Sources and research notes (2)

References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.

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