Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Grable GermanMeans "digger of ditches or graves" (from a derivative of Middle High German
graben "ditch"). A famous bearer was US actress, dancer and singer Betty Grable (1916-1973).
Graceffa ItalianMeaning uncertain, possibly from a southern Italian place name in the comune of Aragona in the province of Agrigento, Sicily, Italy.
Graden ScottishHabitational name from the lands of Graden in Berwickshire.
Gradowski PolishHabitational name for someone from a place called Gradowo in Włocławek voivodeship.
Graf Jewish, YiddishOrnamental name selected, like
Herzog and other words denoting titles, because of their aristocratic connotations.
Graff EnglishMetonymic occupational name for a clerk or scribe, from Anglo-Norman French
grafe "quill, pen" (a derivative of
grafer "to write", Late Latin
grafare, from Greek
graphein).
Grajales SpanishTopographic name from the plural of Spanish grajal ‘place inhabited with rooks’ a derivative of the bird name graja feminine of grajo ‘rook (Corvus frugilegus)’.
Grajçevci Kosovar, Albanian, SerbianOriginally indicated a person from a place named
Greiçec in the town of Suva Reka in Prizren, Kosovo. In Serbian it is called
Grejčevce.
Grala PolishNickname for a musician. Derived from Polish
grać meaning "to play a musical instrument".
Grämlich GermanNickname for an irascible person, derived from Middle High German
gramelich,
gremlich meaning "angry".
Grammer German, EnglishVariant of
Krämer or a habitational name for someone possibly from German places called
Gram or
Grammen. It can also be an English occupational name for a scholar or an astrologer, derived from Old French
gramaire meaning "grammarian, scholar, astrologer"... [
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Granado SpanishNickname from Spanish
granado "mature", "experienced", "distinguished".
Granado SpanishOccupational name for a grower or seller of pomegranates, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a pomegranate tree, from
granado "pomegranate tree" (cf.
GARNETT).
Granados SpanishOccupational name for a grower or seller of pomegranates, or a topographic name for someone who lived near a pomegranate tree, from
granado "pomegranate tree" (cf.
GARNETT).
Granarolo Italian (Rare)Possibly a habitational name related to Italian
granaio "granary, barn; region that produces grain", ultimately from Latin
granum "grain, seed".
Granata ItalianGranata is an Italian word for a shade of red (maroon), and the Latin name of the city of Granada.
Granato ItalianMeans "having grains" in Italian, and "pomegranate (fruit, tree)" in archaic Italian, giving rise to the later meanings of "garnet (gemstone)" and "crimson"; ultimately derived from Latin
granatus "having many grains"... [
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Grand French, RomanshDerived from Old French
grand, grant and Romansh
grand "tall; large".
Grange English, FrenchTopographic name for someone who lived by a granary, from Middle English, Old French
grange (Latin
granica "granary, barn", from
granum "grain"). In some cases, the surname has arisen from places named with this word, for example in Dorset and West Yorkshire in England, and in Ardèche and Jura in France... [
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Granier FrenchFrench for a grain merchant (from Latin
granarius), a topographic name for someone who lived by a granary (from Latin
granarium) or a metonymic role name for someone who monitors or owned one.
Grano Italian, Spanishfrom
grano "grain" (from Latin
granum) probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for a farmer or grain merchant.
Grañón SpanishThis indicates familial origin within the eponymous Riojan municipality.
Grant English, ScottishFrom a medieval personal name, probably a survival into Middle English of the Old English byname
Granta (see
Grantham).
Grantaire LiteratureThis is the name of a minor character in Victor Hugo's novel 'Les Misérables' (1862), a follower of the revolutionary
Enjolras.
Grantham EnglishHabitational name from Grantham in Lincolnshire, of uncertain origin. The final element is Old English
hām "homestead"; the first may be Old English
grand "gravel" or perhaps a personal name
Granta, which probably originated as a byname meaning "snarler"... [
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Grape Low GermanMetonymic occupational name for a maker of metal or earthenware vessels, from Middle Low German
grope "pot".
Grass English, GermanTopographic name for someone who owned or lived by a meadow, or a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or sold hay, from Middle English
gras, Middle High German
gras "grass, pasture, grazing".
Grass ScottishOccupational name, reduced from Gaelic
greusaiche "shoemaker". A certain John Grasse alias
Cordonar (Middle English
cordewaner "shoemaker") is recorded in Scotland in 1539.
Grässli RomanshDerived from Romansh
grass "fat" in combination with the diminutive suffix
-li.
Grato EnglishFrom a nickname given to somebody with grass-like hair, making this surname’s meaning “he with grass-like hair.”
Grattà Late Greek (Italianized, Modern, Archaic, Expatriate)Historical origins of Grattà are found in The Southern Region of Italy in The Province of Catanzaro, Calabria; predominately in the Comune of Girafalco and Palermiti. There is also at least one Coat of Arms that place the name being used in the The Commune of Lucca, Region of Tuscany in Central Italy.
Gratz GermanFrom a short form of a Germanic personal name reflected by Old High German gratag 'greedy'
Grau German, JewishNickname for someone with gray hair or a gray beard, from German
grau "gray".
Grau CatalanMeans "step, level, grade" or "inlet, landing" in Catalan, from Latin
gradus, a topographic name for someone who lived by a canal connected to the sea.
Graue GermanHabitational name from a place so named near Hannover.
Graupman GermanOccupational name for someone who produced or dealt with grits and legumes, from early modern German
graupe "pot barley" (bohemian krupa) and
man "man".
Grave FrenchTopographic name for someone who lived on a patch of gravelly soil, from Old French
grave "gravel" (of Celtic origin).
Grave GermanEither from the northern form of
Graf, but more commonly a topographic name from Middle Low German
grave "ditch", "moat", "channel", or a habitational name from any of several places in northern Germany named with this word.
Gravelotte FrenchDerived from a commune (town) in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, near Metz.
Graves FrenchTopographic or habitational name derived from Old French
grave "gravel".
Grawert Low German, German (East Prussian)As a Low German name, Grawert is derived from Middle High German
grā and Old High German
grāo "gray" (originally "shimmery, gleaming"). As a surname, it was a nickname given to someone with gray hair.... [
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Grayling English (British)Uncommon surname of unclear origin; possible medieval locational name, or a derivative of the French surname Grail or the diminutive Graillon.... [
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Grealish EnglishThe name derives from the Old Norman French word "greslet", meaning pitted or scarred, and is itself derived from the very early Germanic word "gresle", or hailstone.
Greasby EnglishOne who came from Greasby, a parish on the Wirral Peninsula, in Cheshire, now Merseyside.
Greaves Popular CultureBorne by Lucien Greaves, a social activist and the spokesman and co-founder of The Satanic Temple.
Greay English (Rare)The name Greay originated when a family matriarch changed the name to differentiate between the two families with the same name
Grey. There was a wedding between the two families and it was easier if the name was changed.
Grebenstein GermanMeans "stone from the cliff or ridge" from German
greben, (cliff or ridge) and
stein (stone).... [
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Greeley English, NormanEnglish (of Norman origin): nickname for someone with a pock-marked face, from Old Northern French
greslé ‘pitted’, ‘scarred’ (from
gresle ‘hailstone’, of Germanic origin).
Greenberger German, JewishAnglicized form of the German surname
Grünberger, which is formed from the words
grün "green",
Berg "mountain", and the habitational suffix -er. This name indicated a person who lived on or near a forest-covered mountain.
Greenblatt JewishAshkenazi Jewish Surname incorporating Yiddish/German elements meaning “Greenleaf.” Writer and storyboard artist C. H. Greenblatt (born 1972) most known for SpongeBob SquarePants is a famous bearer of this name.
Greenburgh German, JewishThe surname Greenburgh is anglicized for the German Jewish surname Greenberg which translates into English as green mountain.
Greenfeld EnglishPartly Americanized form of the Ashkenazic Jewish ornamental name Grun(e)feld or Grinfeld, a compound of Yiddish grin + German Feld 'field', or of German Grünfeld (see Grunfeld).
Greengrass EnglishNotable bearers include film director Paul Greengrass and baseball player Jim Greengrass.
Greenhill EnglishThe name is derived from a geographic locality, "at the green hill", or rather, more specifically of "Greenhill". The surname could also derive from the liberty on the wapentake of Corringham in Lincolnshire, or a hamlet in the parish of Harrow in Middlesex... [
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Greenidge EnglishFrom Greenhedge Farm in Aslockton, Nottinghamshire, itself derived from Old English
grene “green” +
hecg “hedge”.
Greenland English (Germanized)Greenland Name Meaning. English: topographic name for someone who lived near a patch of land left open as communal pasturage, from Middle English grene 'green' + land 'land'. Translated form of German Grönland, a topographic name with the same meaning as 1, from Low German grön 'green' + Land 'land'.
Greenlaw EnglishFrom one of two placenames, located near the Anglo-Scottish border. Named with Old English
grēne, 'green' and
halw, 'hill, mound'.
Greenleaf EnglishFrom Old English
grēne "green" and
lēaf "leaf", presumably applied as a nickname, the significance of which is now lost.
Greenlee Englishhabitational name from any of various minor places, for example in Staffordshire, so named from Old English grene ‘green’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’.
Greenway EnglishOriginally given to a person who lived near a grassy path, from Middle English
grene "green" and
weye "road, path" (cf.
Way).... [
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Greif GermanMeans "Griffin" in German. From the mythological creature.
Greiner Upper German, German (Swiss)Nickname for a quarrelsome or cantankerous person, derived from Middle High German
grīner meaning "squabbler, quarreler" (ultimately an agent derivative of
grīn meaning "loud, cry, screaming, shouting")... [
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Grell GermanNickname for an irritable or irascible person, from Middle High German, Middle Low German
grellen "to be angry".
Grell GermanHabitational name from a place named Grelle.
Grenard French, Walloon, English (British)Some characteristic forenames: French Andre, Henri, Armand, Emile, Jacques, Marielle, Michel, Monique, Olivier, Pierre, Remi, Serge.... [
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Grenier FrenchOccupational name for a grain merchant (from Latin granarius), or a topographic name for someone who lived by a granary (from Latin granarium) or a metonymic occupational name for someone who supervised or owned one.
Gresham EnglishFrom a place name meaning "grazing homestead" in Old English.
Gresley EnglishFrom the name of either of two villages in Derbyshire, derived from Old English
greosn "gravel" and
leah "woodland clearing, glade".
Gretzinger GermanHabitational name for someone from any of three places named Grötzingen (Old High German Grezzingun) in Baden-Württemberg.
Gretzky Russian, BelarusianOriginally derived from an old Russian word that meant "Greek", though in modern times, the word means "Greek nut" (walnut). A notable bearer is Wayne Gretzky, a former Canadian ice hockey player.
Grewal Punjabi, Indian (Sikh)Referred to a person belonging to a Jat clan that descended from the Gaharwar subcaste of the larger Rajput caste. The subcaste originated from the prominent Gahadavala dynasty that ruled northern parts of the present-day states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in India.
Gribben IrishThis surname is of Old Gaelic origin, and is a variant of "Cribben", which itself is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "
MacRoibin", meaning "son of (mac) Robin", a patronymic from the Anglo-Norman French given name "Robin"... [
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Griebe GermanOccupational name for a butcher or fat dealer from Middle High German
griebe griube "rendered bacon pieces crackling".
Gries Upper GermanTopographic name for someone who lived in a sandy place from Middle High German
griez meaning “sand pebble” or a shortened form of German
Griese.
Griese Low GermanNickname for a gray-haired man from Middle Low German
grīs meaning “gray.”
Grieser Upper Germantopographic name for someone living on a sandy site, from Middle High German griez ‘sand’ + -er suffix denoting an inhabitant.
Griessler GermanTopographic name for someone who lived or farmed in an area of sand.
Griffin Irish (Anglicized)Anglicized (part translated) form of Gaelic Ó Gríobhtha "descendant of
Gríobhtha", a personal name from
gríobh "gryphon".
Griffioen DutchDutch cognate of
Griffin 2. Could be a habitational name referring to a sign depicting a griffin, or derived from a coat of arms.
Griffo ItalianFrom
grifo "gryphon" (Latin
gryphus, Greek
gryps, of Assyrian origin), hence a nickname for someone thought to resemble the mythical beast.
Griffon FrenchFrom a diminutive of Old French
griffe "claw", hence a nickname for a grasping or vicious person, or perhaps for someone with a deformed or otherwise remarkable hand.
Grigahcine Berber (Rare, ?)Meaning unknown, perhaps of Kabyle origin. A known bearer is DJ Snake, who was born
William Grigahcine (1986-), an Algerian-French musician.
Grignon FrenchFrom French 'grignard' meaning "angry" and "contemptuous", and Old French (of Germanic origin) 'grignier' "to grit the teeth" or "curl the lips".
Grigoryevskiy m RussianFrom location called
Grigoryev (Григорьев) or something similar such as
Grigoryevo (Григорьево), Grigoryevka (Григорьевка) ultimately from given name
Grigoriy.
Grijalva Spanish, Central AmericanSpanish: habitational name from any of various places called Grijalba in particular the one in Burgos province. The placename is from iglesia 'church' + Old Spanish alva 'white'.
Grill GermanFrom a nickname for a cheerful person, from Middle High German grille "cricket" (Old High German grillo, from Late Latin grillus, Greek gryllos). The insect is widely supposed to be of a cheerful disposition, no doubt because of its habit of infesting hearths and warm places... [
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