NameCensus.

UK surname

Gray

A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a gray-colored feature, such as a road or hill.

In the 1881 census there were 42,727 people recorded with the Gray surname, ranking it #71 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 66,682, ranked #69, up from #71 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Ythsie and Turriff.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gray is 68,138 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 56.1%.

1881 census count

42,727

Ranked #71

Modern count

66,682

2016, ranked #69

Peak year

2010

68,138 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gray had 42,727 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #71 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 66,682 in 2016, ranked #69.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 54,507 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Gray surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gray surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gray 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 28,696 #66
1861 historical 30,445 #64
1881 historical 42,727 #71
1891 historical 47,337 #66
1901 historical 54,507 #68
1911 historical 42,364 #86
1997 modern 64,531 #65
1998 modern 66,856 #65
1999 modern 67,244 #65
2000 modern 67,101 #66
2001 modern 65,305 #65
2002 modern 66,469 #66
2003 modern 65,045 #66
2004 modern 65,311 #66
2005 modern 64,609 #66
2006 modern 64,475 #66
2007 modern 65,044 #67
2008 modern 65,450 #67
2009 modern 66,830 #67
2010 modern 68,138 #68
2011 modern 66,883 #68
2012 modern 65,804 #68
2013 modern 66,910 #68
2014 modern 67,489 #68
2015 modern 66,785 #68
2016 modern 66,682 #69

Geography

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Where Grays are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, London parishes, Gateshead, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Ythsie, Turriff and Newington and Dalkeith Road. 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 Govan Combination Lanark
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 006 Northumberland
2 Ythsie Aberdeenshire
3 Turriff Aberdeenshire
4 Northumberland 007 Northumberland
5 Newington and Dalkeith Road City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gray

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gray

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gray, 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 Gray surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Gray 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, Gray 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

Gray is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gray 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 Gray 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Gray

The surname Gray is an Anglo-Saxon name that originated in England. It is derived from the Old English word "graeg," which means "gray" or "grey." The name likely referred to someone with gray hair or a person who wore gray clothing.

Gray is a locational surname, meaning it may have originated from a place name. One possible place of origin is the village of Gray in Northumberland, England. The name was first recorded in this area in the 13th century.

The surname Gray can also be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Graeus" and "Graus." This suggests that the name was well-established in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gray is found in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1195, where a man named William Gray is mentioned. Another early record is from the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which lists a person named Richard le Gray.

The Gray surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most prominent was Sir Thomas Gray (c. 1369-1415), an English nobleman who served as a soldier and diplomat during the Hundred Years' War.

Another notable individual was Walter de Gray (c. 1085-1155), an English churchman who served as Archbishop of York and Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry II.

In the literary world, Thomas Gray (1716-1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, and scholar, best known for his poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard."

The Gray family also played a significant role in American history. Samuel Gray (1696-1768) was a prominent merchant and politician in Massachusetts during the colonial era.

Edgar Gray (1908-1988) was an American anthropologist and archaeologist who made significant contributions to the study of Native American cultures in the southwestern United States.

The surname Gray has undergone various spellings throughout history, including Graye, Greye, Graye, and Grai. It is also found in various place names, such as Grayshott in Hampshire, England, and Grays in Essex, England.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gray families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gray 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. Lanarkshire leads with 4,060 Grays recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.01x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 4,060 3.01x
Middlesex 3,719 0.89x
Yorkshire 3,313 0.80x
Durham 2,243 1.81x
Lancashire 1,958 0.40x
Midlothian 1,776 3.18x
Aberdeenshire 1,767 4.57x
Surrey 1,761 0.87x
Northumberland 1,607 2.59x
Angus 1,167 3.02x
Kent 914 0.64x
Lincolnshire 875 1.31x
Hertfordshire 847 2.95x
Ayrshire 837 2.68x
Essex 825 1.00x
Hampshire 784 0.92x
Renfrewshire 763 2.36x
Wiltshire 761 2.06x
Norfolk 658 1.03x
Fife 544 2.20x
Stirlingshire 519 3.37x
Northamptonshire 494 1.26x
Dorset 485 1.77x
Banffshire 475 5.49x
Suffolk 437 0.86x
Perthshire 400 2.14x
Cambridgeshire 393 1.49x
Warwickshire 375 0.36x
Somerset 344 0.51x
Gloucestershire 335 0.41x
Staffordshire 335 0.24x
Sussex 327 0.47x
Roxburghshire 323 4.28x
Cheshire 320 0.35x
Leicestershire 319 0.69x
Nottinghamshire 305 0.54x
Berkshire 281 0.90x
Glamorgan 280 0.39x
Dunbartonshire 263 2.35x
Devon 255 0.29x
West Lothian 248 3.95x
Berwickshire 246 4.87x
Oxfordshire 236 0.92x
Shetland 228 5.35x
Buckinghamshire 221 0.88x
Cornwall 216 0.46x
Derbyshire 195 0.30x
Morayshire 176 2.72x
Cumberland 173 0.48x
Bedfordshire 169 0.78x
Argyllshire 155 1.34x
Kincardineshire 153 3.01x
East Lothian 144 2.61x
Orkney 143 3.12x
Huntingdonshire 134 1.62x
Inverness-shire 133 1.07x
Ross-shire 133 1.16x
Selkirkshire 128 3.39x
Worcestershire 123 0.23x
Monmouthshire 97 0.32x
Caithness 89 1.56x
Clackmannanshire 82 2.38x
Channel Islands 76 0.61x
Dumfriesshire 75 0.81x
Kirkcudbrightshire 58 0.96x
Shropshire 53 0.15x
Sutherland 52 1.62x
Royal Navy 50 1.01x
Wigtownshire 43 0.78x
Caernarfonshire 35 0.21x
Buteshire 31 1.23x
Herefordshire 30 0.18x
Peeblesshire 30 1.53x
Carmarthenshire 23 0.13x
Anglesey 22 0.30x
Isle of Man 18 0.23x
Nairnshire 15 1.18x
Rutland 14 0.46x
Denbighshire 12 0.08x
Cardiganshire 11 0.11x
Westmorland 10 0.11x
Flintshire 9 0.08x
Pembrokeshire 9 0.07x
Brecknockshire 4 0.05x
Kinross-shire 4 0.38x
Montgomeryshire 3 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 990 Grays recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.90x.

Place Total Index
Barony 990 2.90x
Govan 929 2.78x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 823 3.66x
Glasgow 622 2.60x
Dundee 494 3.42x
Aberdeen Old Machar 378 4.69x
Islington London 374 0.93x
Lambeth 291 0.80x
St Pancras London 269 0.80x
Old Monkland 254 4.75x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 245 3.39x
St Marylebone London 228 1.02x
Gateshead 209 2.25x
Camberwell 206 0.77x
Kensington London 201 0.87x
Westoe 197 2.80x
Hackney London 194 0.83x
West Ham 189 1.04x
Bishopwearmouth 181 1.70x
Liverpool 176 0.59x
Shoreditch London 169 0.93x
South Leith 164 2.61x
Birmingham 157 0.45x
Sheffield 156 1.19x
Cambusnethan 153 5.11x
Abbey 144 2.92x
Holy Trinity 143 1.44x
Mile End Old Town London 137 1.54x
Aston 136 0.47x
Liff Benvie 135 2.30x
Toxteth Park 135 0.81x
Battersea 134 0.87x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 131 3.53x
Portsea 130 0.78x
West Greenock 130 2.24x
Leeds 126 0.54x
Mere 123 29.35x
St George Hanover Square 121 1.65x
Bothwell 119 3.25x
Hammersmith London 119 1.16x
Paddington London 119 0.78x
New Monkland 117 2.93x
Hamilton 114 3.03x
Bethnal Green London 108 0.60x
Tottenham 108 1.63x
Elswick 107 2.16x
Everton 107 0.68x
Manchester 103 0.46x
Newington 100 0.65x
Kingston On Thames 99 2.03x
Peterhead 99 4.85x
Bedlington 93 4.49x
Ecclesall Bierlow 93 1.11x
Heworth 93 3.80x
Slamannan 93 11.04x
Preston 92 0.69x
Brighton 89 0.63x
Croydon 89 0.79x
St Vigeans 89 4.27x
Newcastle On Tyne St 87 2.70x
Dunfermline 86 2.27x
Gillingham 82 17.43x
Kirkintilloch 81 5.32x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 80 1.49x
Chelsea London 79 0.63x
Shettleston 79 6.54x
Falkirk 78 2.17x
Limehouse London 78 1.70x
Peterborough 77 2.71x
Bow London 76 1.43x
Deptford St Paul 76 0.69x
Lewisham 76 1.00x
Westgate 76 1.98x
Clerkenwell London 74 0.75x
Gamrie 74 7.66x
Hitchin 74 5.70x
Montrose 74 3.16x
Duddingston 72 6.42x
Stockton On Tees 72 1.20x
Inveresk 71 4.69x
Poplar London 71 0.90x
Dalry 70 4.77x
Longbenton 70 2.66x
Salford 70 0.48x
Tynemouth 70 2.11x
Westminster St James 70 1.63x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,760
Elizabeth 1,080
Sarah 883
Jane 583
Ann 487
Alice 484
Eliza 404
Annie 401
Margaret 387
Emma 385
Ellen 381
Emily 306
Hannah 268
Louisa 210
Martha 192
Charlotte 185
Isabella 177
Maria 167
Harriet 166
Florence 158
Edith 157
Catherine 153
Fanny 153
Ada 150
Caroline 145
Agnes 120
Kate 119
Clara 104
Anne 101
Frances 98
Susan 95
Lucy 94
Jessie 81
Minnie 81
Rebecca 79
Eleanor 76
Rose 72
Elizth. 71
Esther 71
Harriett 65
Amelia 61
Ethel 59
Sophia 59
Amy 55
Matilda 55
Susannah 54
Lydia 52
Mabel 47
Julia 45
Helen 42

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,712
John 1,579
George 1,109
James 913
Thomas 880
Charles 602
Henry 548
Robert 482
Joseph 397
Edward 291
Alfred 285
Arthur 266
Walter 232
Frederick 229
Albert 170
Richard 166
Harry 157
Samuel 141
Herbert 114
David 112
Frank 104
Ernest 103
Edwin 87
Francis 75
Wm. 74
Alexander 70
Peter 61
Fred 59
Tom 57
Andrew 56
Benjamin 54
Thos. 52
Daniel 50
Isaac 42
Matthew 42
Stephen 42
Geo. 41
Ralph 35
Fredrick 34
Sidney 34
Fredk. 32
Mark 28
Percy 28
Archibald 26
Edmund 26
Patrick 24
Michael 22
Chas. 21
Christopher 21
Elijah 20

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Gray households.

FAQ

Gray surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gray surname in 1881?

In 1881, 42,727 people were recorded with the Gray surname. That placed it at #71 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gray surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 66,682 in 2016. That gives Gray a modern rank of #69.

What does the Gray surname mean?

A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a gray-colored feature, such as a road or hill.

What does the Gray map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Gray 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.