NameCensus.

UK surname

Gracey

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "Ó Grásaigh," meaning "descendant of Grásach," a personal name meaning "graceful."

In the 1881 census there were 231 people recorded with the Gracey surname, ranking it #11,722 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 597, ranked #8,748, up from #11,722 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Bees, Govan Combination and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Plymouth, Fyvie-Rothie and Copeland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gracey is 597 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 158.4%.

1881 census count

231

Ranked #11,722

Modern count

597

2016, ranked #8,748

Peak year

2010

597 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gracey had 231 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,722 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 597 in 2016, ranked #8,748.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 275 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Gracey surname distribution map

The map shows where the Gracey surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Gracey surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gracey over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 74 #20,443
1861 historical 160 #14,468
1881 historical 231 #11,722
1891 historical 238 #13,202
1901 historical 275 #12,332
1911 historical 243 #13,163
1997 modern 507 #9,204
1998 modern 547 #8,975
1999 modern 553 #8,945
2000 modern 560 #8,819
2001 modern 545 #8,859
2002 modern 568 #8,764
2003 modern 535 #9,018
2004 modern 552 #8,833
2005 modern 540 #8,914
2006 modern 525 #9,135
2007 modern 532 #9,122
2008 modern 553 #8,924
2009 modern 585 #8,747
2010 modern 597 #8,814
2011 modern 569 #9,030
2012 modern 555 #9,103
2013 modern 591 #8,837
2014 modern 596 #8,843
2015 modern 587 #8,875
2016 modern 597 #8,748

Geography

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Where Graceys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Bees, Govan Combination, London parishes, Liverpool and Blackburn. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Plymouth, Fyvie-Rothie, Copeland, Harrogate and Scotstoun North and East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St Bees Cumberland
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 London parishes London 3
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Blackburn Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Plymouth 013 Plymouth
2 Fyvie-Rothie Aberdeenshire
3 Copeland 003 Copeland
4 Harrogate 004 Harrogate
5 Scotstoun North and East Glasgow City

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gracey

These lists show first names that appear often with the Gracey surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gracey

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gracey, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Gracey surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Gracey household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Gracey is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gracey is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gracey falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Gracey is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Gracey, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gracey

The surname Gracey is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Medieval French personal name "Grace." It is believed to have been introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is thought to have originated from the Latin word "gratia," meaning favor, grace, or thanks.

The earliest known record of the surname Gracey can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, where it is spelled "Graci." This indicates that the name was present in England as early as the late 12th century.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name appears as "Grace" and "Gracy," suggesting that the surname had already begun to develop different spellings by the late 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gracey was Sir John Gracey, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

The surname Gracey is also associated with several place names in England, such as Gracedieu in Leicestershire, which was named after a Cistercian nunnery founded in the 12th century.

Another notable figure with the surname Gracey was Sir Robert Gracey, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was born in 1778 and died in 1835.

In the 16th century, the surname Gracey appeared in various records, including the Parish Registers of St. Peter's Church in Nottinghamshire, where a family bearing the name Gracey was recorded in 1586.

During the 17th century, the Gracey family established themselves in County Armagh, Ireland. One of the earliest recorded Graceys in Ireland was William Gracey, who was born in 1662 in Portadown, County Armagh.

Another notable individual with the surname Gracey was Sir John Gracey, a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was born in 1810 and died in 1892.

In the 19th century, the surname Gracey continued to spread throughout the English-speaking world, with families bearing the name settling in various parts of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gracey families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gracey surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 39 Graceys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.46x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 39 1.46x
Lanarkshire 33 4.53x
Middlesex 24 1.07x
Yorkshire 20 0.90x
Cheshire 18 3.62x
Ayrshire 16 9.49x
Wigtownshire 14 46.79x
Surrey 9 0.82x
Cumberland 7 3.61x
Kent 7 0.91x
Renfrewshire 7 4.01x
Angus 6 2.87x
Devon 5 1.07x
Durham 5 0.75x
Northumberland 5 1.49x
Midlothian 4 1.33x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.96x
Berkshire 2 1.18x
Buckinghamshire 2 1.47x
East Lothian 1 3.35x
Gloucestershire 1 0.23x
Hampshire 1 0.22x
Royal Navy 1 3.72x
Staffordshire 1 0.13x
Sussex 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 22 Graceys recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.21x.

Place Total Index
Govan 22 12.21x
Birkenhead 16 40.35x
Everton 12 14.08x
Glasgow 10 7.73x
Lower Darwen 9 256.41x
Camberwell 8 5.56x
Friern Barnet 8 161.29x
Old Luce 8 423.28x
Liverpool 7 4.31x
Newby In Scarborough 7 7777.78x
Throxenby 7 7000.00x
Auckinleck 6 114.94x
West Greenock 6 19.14x
Whitehaven 6 58.03x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 5 48.22x
Stevenston 5 113.64x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 4 3.29x
Kilwinning 4 73.39x
Montrose 4 31.62x
Openshaw 4 31.95x
Stranraer 4 145.99x
Torbrian 4 2500.00x
Westgate 4 19.27x
All Hallows Lombard 3 2307.69x
Barrow In Furness 3 8.25x
Bethnal Green London 3 3.07x
Haswell 3 62.50x
Kensington London 3 2.39x
Plumstead 3 11.71x
St Pancras London 3 1.65x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 2 5.12x
Cookham 2 37.95x
Dundee 2 2.57x
Heworth 2 15.14x
Leswalt 2 97.56x
Maids Moreton 2 571.43x
West Wickham 2 270.27x
Aldershot 1 6.46x
Berwick Upon Tweed 1 14.08x
Bradford 1 1.85x
Cheetham 1 5.02x
Cheltenham 1 2.93x
Dalziel 1 12.76x
East Stonehouse 1 10.82x
Haddington 1 22.68x
Harrington 1 42.74x
Hornsey 1 3.51x
Lambeth 1 0.51x
Lewisham 1 2.44x
Manchester 1 0.83x
Maybole 1 19.49x
North Meols 1 3.82x
Oxton 1 35.59x
Preston 1 1.40x
Renfrew 1 17.33x
Royal Navy 1 4.36x
Rumbolds Wyke 1 142.86x
Shoreditch London 1 1.02x
St Andrew Holborn London 1 10.25x
Tranmere 1 5.47x
Uxbridge 1 38.91x
Wolverhampton 1 1.71x
Woolwich 1 3.52x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Gracey surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Gracey surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Robert 13
William 10
James 8
John 8
Thomas 5
Samuel 4
Alexander 3
Charles 2
David 2
Adam 1
Alfred 1
Andrew 1
Hailie 1
Harry 1
Henry 1
Hippdyke 1
Hollis 1
Hugh 1
Isaac 1
Jno. 1
Joseph 1
Nathaniel 1
Norman 1
Rulph 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1

FAQ

Gracey surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gracey surname in 1881?

In 1881, 231 people were recorded with the Gracey surname. That placed it at #11,722 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gracey surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 597 in 2016. That gives Gracey a modern rank of #8,748.

What does the Gracey surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "Ó Grásaigh," meaning "descendant of Grásach," a personal name meaning "graceful."

What does the Gracey map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Gracey bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.