Giffen Surname

151,133rd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 2,915 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Northern Ireland

Giffen Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Geoffrey,' from the nick. Giff, and diminutive Giff-on; compare Alison, Marion, and Guyon, from Alice, Mary, and Guy. I have but one early instance, but it is a very satisfactory one; compare Gifkins.

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Giffen Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,5541:233,24322,437
Canada6731:54,7486,504
England3091:180,31716,264
Scotland1221:43,8843,986
Australia1151:234,74522,001
Northern Ireland681:27,1332,940
South Africa161:3,386,106119,139
New Zealand121:377,36028,765
Netherlands61:2,814,529101,176
Ireland41:1,177,23516,494
Singapore41:1,376,92628,409
Israel41:2,139,40895,907
Thailand31:23,546,115908,588
Wales31:1,031,51134,732
Norway31:1,714,09579,528
Switzerland21:4,106,458122,336
Tanzania21:26,470,806111,653
China11:1,367,321,56651,149
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Bermuda11:65,2793,010
Antigua and Barbuda11:99,1712,137
United Arab Emirates11:9,162,273135,437
Ukraine11:45,522,696503,646
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
Sudan11:37,510,19514,259
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Czechia11:10,633,469206,023
Philippines11:101,238,223404,861
Mexico11:124,126,205103,776
Indonesia11:132,249,194811,426
India11:767,065,3821,851,717
France11:66,422,722504,397
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland711:62,3924,829
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Scotland1771:21,1482,065
England681:358,46122,559
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States3121:160,95714,692

Giffen (30) may also be a first name.

Giffen Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Geoffrey,' from the nick. Giff, and diminutive Giff-on; compare Alison, Marion, and Guyon, from Alice, Mary, and Guy. I have but one early instance, but it is a very satisfactory one; compare Gifkins.

Willelmus Gyffon, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

1640. Buried — Grace Giffen, kild by a fall: St. Mary Aldermary (London).

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Of local origin from Giffen in the parish of Beith, Ayrshire. William Giffen was appointed councillor in 1710 (Corsehill, p. 245). Sir Robert Giffen (1837—1910), statistician, was born at Strathaven, Lanarkshire.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Anglo-French-Teut.) 1 double diminutive of Geoffrey, q.v. [French diminutive suff. -in] 2 diminutive from the stem seen in Giffard.

(Celtic) belonging to Giffen (Ayrshire) = the Ridge [Welsh cefn]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English, Scottish) Descendant of little Giff, a pet form of Geoffrey (pledge, peace); one who came from Giffen (ridge), in Ayrshire.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A location name in Ayrshire.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Giffen Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Giffen Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Giffen occurs in The United States more than any other country/territory. It may also appear as a variant:. Click here for other possible spellings of this last name.

How Common Is The Last Name Giffen? popularity and diffusion

The last name Giffen is the 151,133rd most commonly occurring family name world-wide. It is borne by around 1 in 2,500,016 people. The last name Giffen is primarily found in The Americas, where 75 percent of Giffen reside; 75 percent reside in North America and 74 percent reside in Anglo-North America. It is also the 1,911,214th most commonly used first name globally, borne by 30 people.

This last name is most numerous in The United States, where it is borne by 1,554 people, or 1 in 233,243. In The United States it is most prevalent in: California, where 14 percent live, Ohio, where 9 percent live and Texas, where 8 percent live. Outside of The United States it is found in 31 countries. It is also common in Canada, where 23 percent live and England, where 11 percent live.

Giffen Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of Giffen has changed over time. In The United States the share of the population with the surname increased 498 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it increased 454 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it declined 31 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it declined 94 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Giffen Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those holding the surname is chiefly Presbyterian (72%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Giffen last name are 2.4% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than The US average, with 50.83% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Giffen earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 494.82% more than the national average, earning R 1,413,530 per year; in United States they earn 0.97% more than the national average, earning $43,566 USD per year and in Canada they earn 14.13% more than the national average, earning $56,704 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Goiffen923/
Giffeen921/
Giffend921/
Gieffen921/
Iffen916/
Gifen912/
Giffn911/
Giffin837,018/
Geffen831,189/
Guifen8317/
Giefen838/
Gaifen832/
Guffen831/
Ciffen831/
Yiffen831/
Jiffen831/
Ziffen830/
Ifen8051/
Giffing77138/
Seiffen7727/
Guifeng7712/
Chiffen772/
Gheffen772/
Guiffin771/
Geffaen771/
Goiffin771/
Geffent771/
Suiffen770/
Gaiffin770/
Sciffen770/
Gefen732,156/
Effen73156/
Sifen7369/
Isfen7359/
Ifeng7338/
Aifen7312/
Yifen736/
Gizfn736/
Jifen736/
Gifin733/
Iffin733/
Hifen731/
Gufen731/
Ifaen731/
Ifien731/
Siffn731/
Eifen731/
Cifen731/
Guiffing712/
Cheiffen710/
Seifen67820/
Guffin67637/
Siefen67314/
Effeng67150/
Seffen67137/
Geffin67105/
Siffin6770/
Guefen6751/
Yifeng6749/
Chifen6749/
Huifen6733/
Effend6732/
Ifenne6731/
Gaifem6727/
Jifeng6725/
Haifen6721/
Jiffin6715/
Jeffen6714/
Saifen6714/
Zifeng6712/
Heffen6711/
Geyfen6711/
Yoffen6711/
Ifn6710/
Aifeng679/
Ciffin677/
Jaifen677/
Aiffin675/
Zhifen674/
Effien673/
Gefeng673/
Gyffyn672/
Suifen672/
Guifin672/
Jiefen671/
Geffem671/
Giffim671/
Yifend671/
Uiffem671/
Ngefen671/
Yifene671/
Gaifén671/
Euffen671/
Djifen671/
Iffind671/
Gefeen671/
Zaifen671/
Jffhen671/
Eeffen670/
Hiffin670/
Gifgin670/
Zipfen670/
Eifend670/
Gifing670/
Iphfen670/

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Giffen Reference & Research

Giffen-Giffin FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Giffen-Giffin FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Giffen
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis