McGriff
A surname of Gaelic-style form, likely meaning “son of Grif” or a close variant of that name.
The #5,947 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,333 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McGriff is a Gaelic-style surname built on the prefix Mc, meaning “son of,” plus a personal name such as Griff, Griffe, or an older form related to Griffin. In practice, surnames of this type often began as patronymics and later became fixed family names. The ending suggests a name whose original bearer was identified by a short form of a given name rather than by a descriptive word or occupation.
History
The name is most likely an anglicized or Americanized spelling developed from an earlier Gaelic or British surname form. In North America, spellings with Mc- often became standardized in the 18th and 19th centuries, sometimes separating from related forms like McGriffin or McGriffen. Because the underlying personal name may have varied by region and family line, the surname can have more than one historical pathway.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Mc- surnames are among the most recognizable markers of Gaelic naming tradition, even when the original root name has become obscure over time.