Griswold
An English place-based surname, probably from a field or plain associated with the name Gris- or Gris-wood/wold.
The #3,427 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,639 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally treated as locational, built on the English element "wold," meaning a hill, upland, or open plain. The first element is less certain: older writers suggested it may be a personal or descriptive element such as "gris-" from a nickname or an older local name, but the exact source is not securely established in the excerpts. In short, the name most likely meant someone who lived at or came from a place called Griswold.
History
The name is found early in English records and later became established as a family name in Britain and, especially, North America. The spelling has been fairly stable in modern times, though earlier forms and interpretations were not always consistent. It is also well known in the United States through the place name Fort Griswold in Connecticut, which helped keep the surname visible in historical writing.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers specifically classed Griswold with other names ending in -wold, alongside surnames formed from landscape features such as hills, plains, and woods.
From the historical record
“GRISSELL.* i\[y conjecture is wrong. Until within the last century the name was spelt Griswold, and it is therefore local. GUILD. May have been given to an active official in some ancient guild or brothei'hood ; but is more probably derived from the Danish guild or guld, gold, either”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom