Giffen Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Giffen last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Giffen last name
Meaning of the Giffen last name: a descendant of little Giff. Elsdon Smith files Giffen under Giffin, an English and Scottish last name. The shared meaning is a descendant of little Giff, a pet form of Geoffrey (pledge, peace). Roughly 2,840 people bear the surname Giffen; the United States, Canada and England are among their homes.
Arms associated with the Giffen name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Smith lists Giffen as a variant of Giffin.
Get your full Giffen family history
This is only a glimpse of the Giffen story. The full Giffen history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Giffen coat of arms. Get the full Giffen report.
Giffen name FAQ
What does the Giffen name mean?
A descendant of little Giff. Common variants include Giffin.
Where does the Giffen surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States and Canada.
Is there a Giffen coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Giffen coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.