About us
This is the homepage for our Giffen-Giffin global DNA family study. We will accept members with any variant spelling of the name. There have been many different spellings since Medieval times including Giffin, Giffen, Geffen, Giffan, Giffon, Geffan, Geffon, Giffines, Giffins, Giffans, Giffons, Whiffen, and many others.
The Giffen-Giffin DNA study will be a valuable resource in our efforts to bridge the gap between state-of-the-art genetic testing and traditional genealogy. This is the official, recognized DNA study of the Giffen family worldwide and is hosted at Family Tree DNA in partnership with the National Geographic Society and it's National Geographic Genographic Project.
If you're a member of our Giffen family who wants to find out more about your ancient or recent ancestry, you're in the right place. You can contact me directly at jmagyar2@comcast.net
Also please join us on Facebook at Giffin Family Tree
The origin of my maternal grandfather's name is Scotland, and locational from a place called Giffen, in the parish of Beith, Ayrshire where my ancesters were living in the 17th century. Locational surnames were developed when former inhabitants of a place moved to another area, usually to seek work, and were best identified by the name of their birthplace.
The Irish form of the name is found mainly in counties Antrim, Derry and Tyrone whereas the Scottish form is now less common in Scotland. Although sometimes recorded with the Gaelic "Mc" prefix, the modern surname is generally recorded as Giffin, Giffen, Giffon, and Geffen: Amongst the sample recordings in Ireland are the baptisms of John, son of John Giffin and Margaret Gill, on November 29th 1865 in Belfast, and William, son of Stuart McGiffin and Jane Cavana on November 15th 1866 in Carrickfergus, both in County Antrim.
The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Peter Geffen, which was dated 1332, in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, during the reign of King Edward III, known as "The Father of the Navy", 1327 - 1377. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Skip Magyar son of June Giffin