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

Graybeal, 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 Graybeal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Graybeal in America

Graybeal is the 14084th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Graybeal surname appeared 2,135 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Graybeal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Graybeal 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 Graybeal

The surname Graybeal has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "græg" meaning "gray" and "beal" meaning "bale" or "pack," suggesting it was originally an occupational name for someone who carried gray-colored bundles or packs.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, where a John Graybeal was christened in 1587. Other early mentions include a Thomas Graybeal listed in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Worcestershire in 1672 and a William Graybeal mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1698.

Variations in spelling were common in those times, and the name appeared as Graybale, Graybeale, and Greybeale in various historical documents. It is also believed to have been influenced by the place name Greybell, a small hamlet in Northumberland, which may have contributed to the evolution of the surname.

Notable individuals bearing the Graybeal surname throughout history include:

1. John Graybeal (1712-1784), a colonial American settler and landowner in Virginia.
2. Sarah Graybeal (1780-1855), an early pioneer and one of the first settlers in what is now Clermont County, Ohio.
3. William Graybeal (1832-1917), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and later a farmer in Illinois.
4. James Graybeal (1864-1936), a renowned British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Opera House extension.
5. Martha Graybeal (1901-1986), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, who served as the first female president of Sweet Briar College in Virginia.

While the Graybeal surname may not be as prevalent as others, it has left its mark on history through the lives and accomplishments of those who bore it, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of individuals from different eras and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Graybeal

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

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 Graybeal 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 Graybeal 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 Graybeal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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