Griffin draws on two threads: a Welsh surname meaning something like "strong lord," and the mythical creature -- part eagle, part lion -- long used as a symbol of vigilant guardianship. Together they give the name a watchful, protective quality, strength kept in reserve rather than displayed.
In men's nativities, if the part of marriage shall fall in signs obedient; and in women's in signs imperant, the woman shall rule the man, and the man shall obey; sin autem contra, dic contrai. - William Lilly (1602.-1681.)