Gruffudd or Gruffydd ( or , in either case) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

name, originating in

Old Welsh Old Welsh ( cy, Hen Gymraeg) is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic a ...

as a given name and today used as both a given and surname. It is the origin of the

Anglicised Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...

name '' Griffith[s]'', and was historically sometimes treated as interchangeable with the etymologically unrelated Germanic name '' Galfrid'' ( Latinised as ''Galfridus''). The Welsh form evolved from the

Common Brittonic Common Brittonic ( cy, Brythoneg; kw, Brythonek; br, Predeneg), also known as British, Common Brythonic, or Proto-Brittonic, was a Celtic language spoken in Britain and Brittany. It is a form of Insular Celtic, descended from Proto-Celtic, ...

''Grippiud'' or ''Gripuid''.Morgan, T.J., Welsh Surnames, Qualitex Printing Limited, Cardiff, 1985, The ''Orthography of Welsh Surnames 5-8'', ''Gruffydd'' pgs 103–105, ''first element gruff as a noun means 'magic wand' and second element iudd as a noun means 'lord', found on page 160 entry for Maredudd''

Evolution and history

One of the oldest forms which gave rise to all other variations is ''Grippiud'' or ''Gripuid'', which evolved into

''Griffudd''. The second element of the name, ''iudd'', as a noun has a meaning of 'lord' and is found in other Welsh names such as '' Meredith'' (''Mared dd'') and ''Bleidd dd''. In North Wales ''Griffudd'' evolved into ''Gruffudd''. “When u came to have the same quality as the clear y (the y of monosyllables and final syllables) the name generally became Gruffydd, and this is now regarded as the standard form,” according to

T.J. Morgan Thomas John Morgan (22 April 1907 – 9 December 1986), better known as T. J. Morgan, was a Welsh academic. He was Professor of Welsh at Swansea University from 1961 to 1975. Life Morgan was born at "Ynys-y-mwn", in the village of Glais, nea ...

and Prys Morgan. ''Gruffudd'' of Old Welsh became spelt as ''Gruffydd'' in

Middle Welsh Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen ...

and

Modern Welsh The history of the Welsh language (Welsh: ''Hanes yr iaith Gymraeg'') spans over 1400 years, encompassing the stages of the language known as Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh. Origins Welsh evolved from British, the ...

of today. The high central vowel sound of ''u/y'' was lost entirely in South Wales and replaced by the ''i'' sound, and the form ''Griffidd'' became standard in the south, the region to first be encountered by Anglo-Norman scribes.

Variations

Anglo-Norman scribes rendered ''Griffidd'' and ''Gruffydd'' as ''Griffith'', with both ''Gruffydd'' and ''Griffith'' becoming the standardized forms for the same name since the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended around AD ...

and into the modern era. The form of the name encountered in Latin texts is ''Griffith'', ''Griffini'' and ''Gruffin''. Many variations have evolved since the Middle Ages and Tudor period, with many springing from abbreviated forms such as ''Griff''. ''Griffri, Griffith, Griffyn, Griffei, Griffies, Griffitte, Griffits, Griffitts, Griffes, Griffyths, Gripthis, Gripphes, Griffithi, Griffen, Griffee, Griffey, Gruffudd, Gruffydd'' Patronymics evolving from ''Griffith'' include '' Griffiths'' and ''Griffyths'', ''son of Griffith''.

Hypocoristic forms

Hypocoristic A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as '' Izzy'' for ...

forms, or “pet names”, included ''Guto, Gutyn, Gitto, Getyn, Gitton,'' and ''Gutta'', with many of these becoming surnames themselves. Derivations of Gruffydd by way of Guto/Gitto include ''Gittos, Gittose, Gittoss, Gittas, Gyttes, Gitts, Gytts, Gittus, Gitthouse, Gyttors, Gittonce, Gittal, Gittall, Gyttall, Gittall, Gethyn.'' The name ''Gatehouse'' may have originated in some parts of Wales and the March from ''Gittose'' or a variant as a conscious effort to further anglicize the name.

Names

The name may refer to the following people, often with either spelling used, among other variants such as Gruffuth, Griffudd, etc. :

As a given name

Gruffudd ab Adda Gruffudd ab Adda (fl. mid 14th century) was a Welsh language poet and musician. Gruffudd was a contemporary of Dafydd ap Gwilym, whose death he mourned in elegy An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lame ...

(fl. mid 14th century) was a Welsh language poet and musician *

Gruffudd ab Owain Glyndŵr Gruffudd ap Owain Glyndŵr (c. 1375-c. 1412) was the eldest son of Margaret Hanmer and Owain Glyndŵr, who led a major revolt in Wales between 1400 and about 1416. Early life Little is known about any of the children of Owain Glyndŵr. Gruffud ...

(c. 1375 – c. 1412) led a major revolt in Wales * Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch (1277–1282), Welsh court poet * Gruffydd ap Cynan *

Gruffudd ap Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd Gruffudd ap Cynan ab Owain Gwynedd was the grandson of Owain Gwynedd a famous king of Gwynedd and ruler of most of Wales in the 12th century. The longer patronymic form of his name is usually used to distinguish him from the earlier and better-kno ...

, the grandson of the king of Gwynedd * Gruffudd Fychan I *

Gruffudd Fychan II Gruffudd Fychan II was Lord of Glyndyfrdwy and Lord of Cynllaith Owain c.1330–1369. As such, he had a claim to be hereditary Prince of Powys Fadog. Ancestry The epithet 'Fychan' implies that his father was also called Gruffudd. Howeve ...

Gruffudd Gryg Gruffudd Gryg (fl. c.1340–1380) was a Welsh poet from Anglesey, North Wales. A number of Gruffudd's poems have survived including poems to a wave during his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and to an April moon. Also extant are the deb ...

(1340–1380), Welsh poet from Anglesey, North Wales *

Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn (died c. 1286) was a Welsh king who was lord of the part of Powys known as Powys Wenwynwyn and sided with Edward I in his conquest of Wales of 1277 to 1283. Gruffydd was the son of Gwenwynwyn and Margaret Corbet. He was ...

Gruffudd Hiraethog Gruffudd Hiraethog (died 1564) was a 16th century Welsh language poet, born in Llangollen, north-east Wales. Gruffudd was one of the foremost poets of the sixteenth century to use the cywydd metre. He was a prolific author and gifted scholar. ...

(died 1564), Welsh language poet *

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Gruffydd ap Llywelyn ( 5 August 1063) was King of Wales from 1055 to 1063. He had previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys in 1039. He was the son of King Llywelyn ap Seisyll and Angharad daughter of Maredudd ab Owain, and the great-gre ...

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr Gruffudd or Gruffydd ( or , in either case) is a Welsh name, originating in Old Welsh as a given name and today used as both a given and surname. It is the origin of the Anglicised name '' Griffith[s]'', and was historically sometimes treat ...

(c. 1198 – March 1, 1244), son of Llywelyn the Great *

Gruffudd Llwyd Gruffudd Llwyd (fl. c.1380–1410) was a Welsh language poet. Gruffudd was the nephew of the poet Hywel ab Einion Lygliw and the bardic tutor of Rhys Goch Eryri. Gruffudd composed poems on themes of love and religion. His surviving work is char ...

(1380–1410), Welsh language poet *

Gruffydd ap Madog Fychan Gruffydd ap Madog Fychan was according to some sources the son of Madog Fychan the hereditary Prince of Powys Fadog between 1304 and c. 1325. Biography It seems unlikely that Gruffydd ap Madog Fychan ever inherited the throne of Powys Fadog and ...

* Gruffydd II ap Madog, Lord of Dinas Bran *

Gruffydd Maelor Gruffydd Maelor (died 1191) was Prince of Powys Fadog in Wales. He is known as Gruffydd Maelor I to distinguish him from his grandson, Gruffydd Maelor II (died 1269). Lineage He was a son of Prince Madog ap Maredudd by Susanna, daughter of ...

Gruffudd ap Nicolas Gruffudd ap Nicolas or Gruffudd ap Nicholas (fl. ca. 1425–1456) was a powerful nobleman in Carmarthenshire, Wales. He organised several bardic eisteddfods in the county during the 1450s. Background Gruffudd is believed to be the son of Nico ...

* Gruffydd Robert, Welsh priest * Gruffydd ap Rhydderch * Gruffydd ap Rhys * Gruffydd ap Rhys II * Gruffudd Vychan, (born 1395), Lord of Burgedin, Treflydan, Garth and Gearfawr, Wales

As a surname or patronymic

* Ioan Gruffudd (born 1973), Welsh actor * Rhodri ap Gruffudd (1230–1315), the third or fourth son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr

References

{{Reflist Welsh masculine given names Surnames of Welsh origin