NameCensus.

UK surname

Gregg

A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the given name Gregory, meaning "watchful" or "alert."

In the 1881 census there were 2,084 people recorded with the Gregg surname, ranking it #2,121 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,097, ranked #2,177, down from #2,121 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Oakham, Leigh Field Forest. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Lakeland, Carrick South and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gregg is 3,200 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 48.6%.

1881 census count

2,084

Ranked #2,121

Modern count

3,097

2016, ranked #2,177

Peak year

2010

3,200 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gregg had 2,084 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,121 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,097 in 2016, ranked #2,177.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,420 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Gregg surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gregg surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gregg 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 1,247 #2,293
1861 historical 1,414 #2,018
1881 historical 2,084 #2,121
1891 historical 2,121 #2,198
1901 historical 2,358 #2,299
1911 historical 2,420 #2,117
1997 modern 3,073 #2,092
1998 modern 3,139 #2,135
1999 modern 3,171 #2,130
2000 modern 3,134 #2,145
2001 modern 3,051 #2,155
2002 modern 3,147 #2,132
2003 modern 3,052 #2,149
2004 modern 3,028 #2,164
2005 modern 3,004 #2,156
2006 modern 3,052 #2,128
2007 modern 3,063 #2,135
2008 modern 3,124 #2,116
2009 modern 3,142 #2,152
2010 modern 3,200 #2,158
2011 modern 3,193 #2,131
2012 modern 3,129 #2,142
2013 modern 3,180 #2,153
2014 modern 3,177 #2,161
2015 modern 3,149 #2,159
2016 modern 3,097 #2,177

Geography

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Where Greggs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Oakham, Leigh Field Forest and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Lakeland, Carrick South, County Durham and Copeland. 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 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Oakham, Leigh Field Forest Rutland
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Lakeland 002 South Lakeland
2 South Lakeland 001 South Lakeland
3 Carrick South South Ayrshire
4 County Durham 008 County Durham
5 Copeland 004 Copeland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gregg

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gregg

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

Gregg is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gregg falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Gregg 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 Gregg, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gregg

The surname Gregg originates from Scotland and is derived from the Old English name Grig, which means "watchful" or "vigilant". The earliest recorded spelling of the name is believed to be Gregg, found in a Scottish census document from the year 1296.

The name Gregg is thought to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. It is believed to have evolved from the Gaelic name "Griogair", which was later anglicized to "Gregor" and eventually "Gregg".

In the Domesday Book, a record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086, there are no recorded instances of the surname Gregg. However, the name is mentioned in various other historical records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries in Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gregg is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of documents recording the submission of Scottish noblemen to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, a "William Gregg" is listed as a tenant in the county of Ayr.

Another notable early bearer of the surname Gregg was John Gregg, a Scottish clergyman who lived in the 16th century and served as the Bishop of Dunkeld from 1554 to 1563.

In the 17th century, a family of Greggs was established in Northumberland, England, with the earliest recorded member being Robert Gregg, who was born around 1620 in Warkworth, Northumberland.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Gregg was Samuel Gregg (1735-1788), an American Revolutionary War soldier and statesman who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.

Another notable Gregg was John Gregg (1806-1888), an American educator and author who developed the Gregg shorthand system, a widely used method of shorthand writing.

Other notable individuals with the surname Gregg include:

1. Percy Gregg (1866-1925), an English cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club. 2. Willa Gregg (1877-1952), an American author and poet known for her works on Native American culture. 3. David Gregg (1834-1916), a Union Army general during the American Civil War. 4. Norma Gregg (1894-1989), an Australian opera singer and actress who performed extensively in Europe and the United States.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gregg families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gregg 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. Yorkshire leads with 326 Greggs recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.60x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 326 1.60x
Lancashire 270 1.11x
Middlesex 199 0.97x
Durham 106 1.73x
Northumberland 105 3.43x
Nottinghamshire 104 3.75x
Cheshire 90 1.98x
Worcestershire 73 2.72x
Herefordshire 70 8.30x
Staffordshire 64 0.92x
Cumberland 55 3.11x
Westmorland 54 11.95x
Lanarkshire 51 0.77x
Kent 49 0.70x
Surrey 48 0.48x
Leicestershire 45 1.97x
Warwickshire 40 0.77x
Ayrshire 36 2.34x
Monmouthshire 27 1.82x
Devon 26 0.61x
Gloucestershire 24 0.60x
Hampshire 23 0.55x
Channel Islands 21 3.45x
Rutland 21 13.91x
Northamptonshire 19 0.98x
Cornwall 17 0.73x
Essex 16 0.39x
Shropshire 14 0.79x
Derbyshire 11 0.34x
Lincolnshire 11 0.33x
Sussex 11 0.32x
Berkshire 10 0.65x
Glamorgan 10 0.28x
Cambridgeshire 9 0.69x
Bedfordshire 8 0.75x
Pembrokeshire 7 1.07x
Roxburghshire 6 1.61x
Caernarfonshire 5 0.60x
Midlothian 5 0.18x
Aberdeenshire 4 0.21x
Renfrewshire 4 0.25x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.24x
Hertfordshire 3 0.21x
Merionethshire 3 0.80x
Denbighshire 1 0.13x
Dorset 1 0.07x
Flintshire 1 0.18x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.34x
Royal Navy 1 0.41x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hunslet in Yorkshire leads with 43 Greggs recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.53x.

Place Total Index
Hunslet 43 13.53x
Liverpool 34 2.29x
Leeds 25 2.17x
Chester St Mary On Hill 24 61.63x
Bishop Auckland 21 25.59x
Hackney London 20 1.73x
Warrington 20 6.91x
Sheffield 19 2.93x
Tottenham 19 5.80x
Ripon 18 38.08x
Bedlington 17 16.64x
Birmingham 17 0.98x
Gotham 17 235.46x
Oakham Lordshold 17 107.59x
Ulverston 17 23.92x
Mile End Old Town London 16 3.66x
Barony 15 0.89x
Barrow In Furness 15 4.52x
Birkenhead 15 4.15x
Govan 15 0.91x
Kirkdale 15 3.65x
Walsall Foreign 15 4.18x
Wellington 15 348.03x
Bedwellty 14 5.33x
Berwick Upon Tweed 14 21.59x
Chester St Oswald 14 17.03x
Elswick 14 5.73x
Hexham 14 29.57x
Lambeth 14 0.78x
St George Hanover Square 14 3.86x
West Derby 14 1.96x
Kendal 13 15.71x
Allhallows 12 230.33x
Armley 12 13.35x
Shoreditch London 12 1.35x
St Peter Port 12 10.65x
Arnold 11 27.19x
Aston 11 0.77x
Falmouth 11 13.35x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 11 4.15x
Kingswinford 11 4.36x
Lewisham 11 2.94x
Sutton Stoneferry 11 18.87x
Swinton In Rotherham 11 20.42x
Whitehaven 11 11.66x
Aldershot 10 7.08x
Ecclesall Bierlow 10 2.41x
Elmley Castle 10 381.68x
Fulham London 10 3.35x
Haltwhistle 10 67.34x
Leicester St Margaret 10 1.80x
Markington Cum 10 305.81x
Salford 10 1.39x
Azerley 9 185.57x
Darlington 9 3.81x
Deptford St Paul 9 1.66x
Everton 9 1.16x
Gateshead 9 1.96x
Mauchline 9 50.88x
Monken Hadley 9 109.49x
Pendleton In Salford 9 3.10x
Sinderby 9 1111.11x
St Andrewthe Less 9 6.05x
St Marylebone London 9 0.82x
Barnsley 8 3.81x
Bishopwearmouth 8 1.52x
Chester Holy Trinity 8 37.59x
Glasgow 8 0.68x
Langdale 8 155.04x
Middlesbrough 8 3.01x
Moss Side 8 6.23x
Mynyddyslwyn 8 13.64x
Nottingham St Mary 8 1.12x
Over Darwen 8 4.10x
Prittlewell 8 14.22x
Redmile 8 232.56x
Selsey 8 125.39x
Willenhall 8 6.15x
Woolsthorpe 8 190.02x
York St Maurice 8 20.85x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 144
Sarah 90
Elizabeth 71
Ann 58
Jane 55
Margaret 40
Annie 35
Eliza 32
Emma 28
Ellen 27
Alice 24
Hannah 20
Martha 17
Isabella 15
Ada 14
Edith 14
Caroline 13
Charlotte 13
Emily 13
Agnes 12
Catherine 12
Fanny 12
Harriet 12
Louisa 12
Frances 11
Florence 9
Maria 9
Eleanor 8
Rebecca 7
Amelia 6
Elizth. 6
Anne 5
Matilda 5
Susannah 5
Beatrice 4
Dorothy 4
Esther 4
Ethel 4
Harriett 4
Jessie 4
Kate 4
Rose 4
Ruth 4
A. 3
Barbara 3
Bertha 3
Bessie 3
Grace 3
Henrietta 3
Maud 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 128
William 114
Thomas 76
George 70
James 70
Charles 37
Robert 35
Henry 33
Joseph 29
Edward 21
Arthur 18
Samuel 18
David 17
Richard 13
Frederick 12
Frank 11
Walter 11
Edwin 10
Alfred 9
Francis 8
Harry 8
Herbert 7
Benjamin 6
Albert 5
Isaac 5
Willm. 5
Wm. 5
Christopher 4
Ernest 4
Thos. 4
Bernard 3
Elijah 3
Fredrick 3
Geo. 3
Horatio 3
Michael 3
Nelson 3
Ralph 3
Reginald 3
Tom 3
Adam 2
Austin 2
Dominick 2
Frances 2
Jos. 2
Mary 2
Reuben 2
Roger 2
Ronald 2
S. 2

FAQ

Gregg surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gregg surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,084 people were recorded with the Gregg surname. That placed it at #2,121 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gregg surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,097 in 2016. That gives Gregg a modern rank of #2,177.

What does the Gregg surname mean?

A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the given name Gregory, meaning "watchful" or "alert."

What does the Gregg map show?

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