Find out how popular the last name DeGray is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named DeGray.

DeGray, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the DeGray surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of DeGray in America

DeGray is the 35945th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The DeGray surname appeared 624 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname DeGray.

We can also compare 2010 data for DeGray to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name DeGray

The surname DEGRAY originated in France during the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words "de" meaning "from" and "grai" meaning "grey" or "gray." The name likely referred to someone who came from a place with a greyish soil or landscape, or perhaps someone with grey hair or a greyish complexion.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century, with mentions in various French historical documents and records. One notable example is the appearance of William DEGRAY in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1166. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer.

In the 13th century, a Sir Henry DEGRAY is listed as a witness to a charter granted by King John of England in 1215. This charter, known as the Magna Carta, was a significant legal document that laid the foundation for modern civil liberties.

During the 14th century, a man named John DEGRAY was recorded as a member of the English Parliament, representing the county of Berkshire in 1335.

In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname DEGRAY was Walter DEGRAY, who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1466-1467.

In later centuries, the name continued to appear across various regions of England and France. One prominent individual was Sir John DEGRAY, an English nobleman and military commander who fought in the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century (1761-1834).

While the surname DEGRAY has French origins, it has been adopted and used across different parts of Europe and beyond over the centuries, with various spellings and variations emerging, such as GRAY, GREY, and LEGRAY.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name DeGray

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname DeGray.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for DeGray was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of DeGray has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name DeGray was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of DeGray, please contact us.

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