Grey Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Grey Name Meaning: Thought to have derived from the Anglo Saxon word 'graeg' meaning 'grey'. May have also been taken from the place name 'Graye' in France.

An Anglo-Saxon nickname which referred to someone with grey coloured hair. May have also been taken from the place name 'graye' in France for someone who lived there.

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Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Grey Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Grey family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 641
Agricultural Labourer 184
House Servant 74
Coal Miner 71
Labourer 66
Servant 49
General Servant 35
Dress Maker 33
Laundress 32
Carter 30
Cook 22
Domestic Servant 21
House Keeper 19
Baker 17
Tailor 16
House Maid 15
Nurse 15
Farm Labourer 14
Blacksmith 14
Dressmaker 13
Wife Of Above 13
Carpenter 12
Groom 12
Joiner 12
Shoe Maker 12

Grey Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Gray 75% 210,083
2 Grey 100% 43,115
3 Geary 40% 15,928
4 Gary 50% 1,867
5 Garey 80% 1,488
6 Gorey 80% 1,122
7 Gury 50% 1,007
8 Gearey 67% 621
9 Gery 50% 461
10 Greey 80% 212
11 Groy 75% 204
12 Gory 50% 200
13 Greay 80% 190
14 Gry 75% 123
15 Geory 40% 107

Did you know?

The surname Grey is the 2nd most popular variant of Gray.

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