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

Grayer, 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 Grayer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grayer in America

Grayer is the 16022nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grayer surname appeared 1,811 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 Grayer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grayer 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 Grayer

The surname GRAYER is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "graeg" or "gragg," meaning gray-haired or gray. It is believed to have originated in the 8th or 9th century, initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with gray hair.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gregorius Graegge." This entry suggests that the name had already been established in England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname GRAYER was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where it was often associated with families of landowners or farmers. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries show variations in spelling, such as "Grayre," "Graier," and "Greyere."

Notable individuals with the surname GRAYER include Sir Thomas Grayer (c. 1460-1516), a prominent English politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. Another was John Grayer (1586-1654), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

In the 17th century, the GRAYER surname can be found in records from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, indicating that some individuals with this name were among the early Puritan settlers in New England. One such individual was Edward Grayer (c. 1620-1688), who was granted land in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1642.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the GRAYER surname spread to other parts of the United States and Canada, with several notable individuals bearing the name. These include James Grayer (1767-1841), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and William Grayer (1811-1892), a Canadian merchant and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.

Other notable individuals with the surname GRAYER include the British author and journalist George Grayer (1856-1933), known for his works on history and travel, and the American educator and civil rights activist Ella Grayer (1895-1977), who played a significant role in the desegregation of schools in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grayer

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

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

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

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