Graves Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Graves Name Meaning: A patronymic variant of 'Grave'.Occupational from 'Greyve',denoted from middle English,meaning 'steward'. Also topographic,a variant of 'Grove'.

This may indicate somebody who lived near a 'grove' or 'thicket'.

Discover how your Graves ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Graves Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Graves family

Profession Census Frequency
Living On Own Means 88
General Labourer 48
General Servant Domestic 45
Agricultural Labourer 44
Farmer 38
Scholar 35
Dress Maker 31
Ordinary Agricultural Labourer 28
Cook Domestic 21
Domestic Servant 21
House Keeper 20
Carpenter 18
Charwoman 17
At School 16
House Maid Domestic 15
Coal Miner Hewer 15
Cotton Weaver 14
Housemaid Domestic 13
Dock Labourer 13
Laundress Wash 13
Railway Porter 12
House Keeper Domestic 11
Tailor 10
Farm Labourer 10
Commercial Clerk 9

Graves Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Greaves 86% 61,638
2 Groves 83% 55,517
3 Graves 100% 34,701
4 Grieves 71% 4,346
5 Greeves 71% 3,658
6 Greves 83% 2,031
7 Gervis 50% 1,055
8 Garvis 50% 704
9 Grooves 71% 535
10 Grives 83% 450
11 Greives 71% 269
12 Gravis 83% 191
13 Gervase 43% 163
14 Garves 67% 154

Did you know?

The surname Graves is the 3rd most popular variant of Greaves.

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