Grayce
A feminine English name meaning "grace, blessing, or favor".
Name Census estimates that about 1,836 living Americans carry the first name Grayce. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Grayce today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Grayce births was 1917 (134 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Grayce. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 186,685 Americans
Peak year
1917
134 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,112
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Grayce: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Grayce from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 824 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Grayce by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Grayce during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Grayces live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Grayce, while Washington, North Dakota, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 46 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Grayce
The name Grayce is an English variant of the name Grace, which has its roots in the Latin word "gratia" meaning "favor" or "grace". It was initially used as a virtue name, representing the concept of divine grace and the unmerited favor bestowed by God upon humanity.
In the early Christian era, the name Grace gained popularity as a symbolic representation of the Christian belief in God's grace and mercy. It was often chosen as a name for girls born into devout Christian families, serving as a reminder of the divine blessings they had received.
The first recorded use of the name Grayce dates back to the 13th century in England. It was a variant spelling that emerged during the Middle Ages when spelling conventions were less standardized. The name likely gained traction as a way to distinguish between different individuals named Grace.
One of the earliest known historical figures bearing the name Grayce was Lady Grayce de Lorraine, a noblewoman from the 14th century who was known for her involvement in charitable works and philanthropy. Another notable figure was Grayce Barantyne, a 16th-century English writer and translator who was renowned for her literary contributions.
In the 17th century, Grayce Smith (1664-1730) was a prominent Quaker preacher and author who traveled extensively throughout England and the American colonies, spreading the Quaker faith. Her writings and sermons were widely circulated and influential during her time.
During the 18th century, Grayce Aylwin (1728-1806) was a British artist and portraitist who gained recognition for her exceptional skills in capturing the likenesses of her subjects. Her works were highly sought after by the aristocracy and upper-class society of the time.
In the 19th century, Grayce Darling (1815-1842) was a renowned English nurse and heroine who risked her life to rescue survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838. Her bravery and selflessness earned her widespread admiration and recognition, with memorials erected in her honor.
These examples illustrate the longstanding use of the name Grayce throughout history, often associated with individuals who embodied qualities of grace, virtue, and service to others.
People
Grayce + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Grayce as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Grayce: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Grayce?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,836 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Grayce going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 186,685 US residents.
Is Grayce a common name?
We classify Grayce as "Rare". It ranks above 93.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,408 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Grayce most popular?
The single biggest year for Grayce was 1917, when 134 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Grayce is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Grayce a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Grayce in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.