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

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

name, originating in

Old Welsh Old Welsh () 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 around 550, ha ...

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

Anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

name '' Griffith[s]'', and was historically sometimes treated as interchangeable with the etymologically unrelated Germanic name ''

Galfrid Galfrid or Galfred ( Latinised as ' or ') is an Anglo-Norman variant of the name Geoffrey. It derives, like German Gottfried (Latinised as ' or ', Anglicised as Godfrey), from Old High German ', Old French ', and Old Norse ', meaning 'God's peace' ...

'' ( Latinised as ''Galfridus''). The Welsh form evolved from the

Common Brittonic Common Brittonic (; ; ), also known as British, Common Brythonic, or Proto-Brittonic, is a Celtic language historically spoken in Britain and Brittany from which evolved the later and modern Brittonic languages. It is a form of Insular Cel ...

''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'' The meaning of the name is “strong lord.”

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 and

Prys Morgan Prys Morgan FRHistS FSA FLSW (born 1937) is a Welsh historian. Biography Prys Morgan was born in Cardiff in 1937, the son of academic T. J. Morgan. His parents first met at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1926. Like his late brother, Rh ...

. ''Gruffudd'' of Old Welsh became spelt as ''Gruffydd'' in

Middle Welsh Middle Welsh (, ) 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 (). Literature and history Middle Welsh is ...

and

Modern Welsh The history of the Welsh language () 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 (Common Brittonic), the Celtic languag ...

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 periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...

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 Griffiths is a surname with Welsh origins, as in Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr. People named Griffiths include: * Alan Griffiths (born 1952), Australian politician and businessman * Alan Griffiths (cricketer) (born 1957), English cricketer * Albert ...

'' and ''Griffyths'', ''son of Griffith''.

Hypocoristic forms

Hypocoristic A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; 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 Isabel or '' Bob'' for Robert, or it ...

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 lam ...

(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 1415. Early life Little is known about any of the children of Owain Glyndŵ ...

(c. 1375 – c. 1412) led a major revolt in Wales *

Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch ( fl. 1277–1282) was a Welsh court poet. Gruffudd composed a number of poems on the theme of religion. His greatest fame however, lies with his moving elegy for Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales Prince of ...

(1277–1282), Welsh court poet *

Gruffudd ap Cynan Gruffudd ap Cynan (–1137) was List of rulers of Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to House of Normandy, Norman rule. As a descen ...

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-kn ...

, the grandson of the king of Gwynedd * Gruffudd Fychan I * Gruffudd Fychan II * Gruffudd Gryg (1340–1380), Welsh poet from Anglesey, North Wales *

Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn (died c. 1286) was a Welsh people, Welsh king who was lord of the part of Kingdom of Powys, Powys known as Powys Wenwynwyn; he sided with King Edward I of England in the latter's Conquest of Wales by Edward I, conquest of W ...

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. Th ...

(died 1564), Welsh language poet *

Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ( – 5 August 1063) was the first and only Welsh king to unite all of Wales under his rule from 1055 to 1063. He had also previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys from 1039 to 1055. Gruffudd was the son of Llywelyn ap ...

Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Fawr Gruffudd ap Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (c. 1196 – 1 March 1244) was a Wales, Welsh prince, and the first-born son of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great). His mother Tangwystl (c. 1180/1185 – c. 1210) probably died in childbirth. Hostage As ...

(c. 1198 – March 1, 1244), son of Llywelyn the Great * Gruffudd Llwyd (1380–1410), Welsh language poet * Gruffydd ap Madog Fychan *

Gruffydd II ap Madog, Lord of Dinas Bran Gruffydd Maelor II (died 1269) was a Prince of Powys Fadog. He reigned for thirty-three years and married into the House of Stanley. Following the Anglo-Welsh Treaty of Montgomery, he submitted to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales. Lineage ...

Gruffydd Maelor Gruffydd Maelor (died 1191) was a Prince of Powys Fadog in Wales. He married a daughter of King Owain Gwynedd, first Prince of Wales, and was a brother of Prince Owain Brogyntyn, ancestor of the Barons of Cymmer-yn-Edeirnion. Lineage Maelor ...

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 Nic ...

Gruffydd Robert Gruffydd Robert (1527–98) was a Welsh Catholic priest and humanist scholar who in 1567 wrote a pioneering Welsh grammar while in exile in Italy with his uncle and fellow-writer Morys Clynnog. Life Gruffydd Robert was born in Caernarfonshire ...

, Welsh priest *

Gruffydd ap Rhydderch Gruffudd ap Rhydderch (d. AD 1055) was a king of Gwent and part of the kingdom of Morgannwg in south Wales, and later king of Deheubarth. Gruffudd was the son of Rhydderch ab Iestyn, who had been able to take over the kingdom of Deheubarth fr ...

Gruffydd ap Rhys Gruffydd ap Rhys (c. 1090 – 1137) was Prince of Deheubarth, in Wales. His sister was the Princess Nest ferch Rhys. He was the father of Rhys ap Gruffydd, known as 'The Lord Rhys', who was one of the most successful rulers of Deheubarth during ...

* Gruffydd ap Rhys II *

Gruffudd Vychan Sir Gruffudd Vychan ( 1395 – 1447), also spelt in English sources as Griffith Vaughan, was a Welsh knight who supported the rebellion of Prince Owain Glyndŵr against the English, and captured the Lollard John Oldcastle, who was later immorta ...

, (born 1395), Lord of Burgedin, Treflydan, Garth and Gearfawr, Wales

As a surname or patronymic

Ioan Gruffudd Ioan Gruffudd (; ; born 6 October 1973) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his roles in film and television series in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. Gruffudd became known for his portrayal of Harold Lowe in ''Titanic'' ( ...

(born 1973), Welsh actor *

Rhodri ap Gruffudd Rhodri ap Gruffudd (or Prince Rhodri or Roderick Fitz Griffin) (c. 1230 – c. 1315) was the third or fourth son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr. He was the younger brother of both Llywelyn ap Gruffudd of Gwynedd, Prince of Wales) and of Owain Goc ...

(1230–1315), the third or fourth son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr

References

{{Reflist Welsh masculine given names Welsh given names Welsh-language surnames