NameCensus.

UK surname

Greyson

An English surname derived from the medieval given name "Greyson", meaning "son of the gray-haired one".

In the 1881 census there were 123 people recorded with the Greyson surname, ranking it #17,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 105, ranked #30,114, down from #17,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, St Dunstan Stepney and Richmond. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Harrow, Sheffield and Tendring.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Greyson is 281 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 14.6%.

1881 census count

123

Ranked #17,506

Modern count

105

2016, ranked #30,114

Peak year

1891

281 bearers

Map years

7

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Greyson had 123 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 105 in 2016, ranked #30,114.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 281 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Greyson surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Greyson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Greyson 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 193 #10,704
1861 historical 269 #9,244
1881 historical 123 #17,506
1891 historical 281 #11,630
1901 historical 133 #19,372
1911 historical 162 #17,003
1997 modern 74 #30,218
1998 modern 83 #29,638
1999 modern 81 #30,037
2000 modern 80 #30,139
2001 modern 81 #29,828
2002 modern 83 #30,070
2003 modern 79 #30,549
2004 modern 82 #30,468
2005 modern 89 #29,683
2006 modern 87 #30,292
2007 modern 82 #31,295
2008 modern 83 #31,483
2009 modern 91 #30,944
2010 modern 98 #30,540
2011 modern 94 #31,016
2012 modern 91 #31,659
2013 modern 105 #29,916
2014 modern 111 #29,113
2015 modern 104 #30,269
2016 modern 105 #30,114

Geography

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Where Greysons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George in the East, St Dunstan Stepney, Richmond, Preston and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Harrow, Sheffield, Tendring, Croydon and Broxbourne. 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 George in the East London (East Districts)
2 St Dunstan Stepney London (East Districts)
3 Richmond Yorkshire, North Riding
4 Preston Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Harrow 013 Harrow
2 Sheffield 053 Sheffield
3 Tendring 007 Tendring
4 Croydon 004 Croydon
5 Broxbourne 013 Broxbourne

Forenames

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First names often paired with Greyson

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Greyson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Greyson, 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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Greyson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Greyson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Greyson is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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

These residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Greyson is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Greyson falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Greyson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Greyson

The surname Greyson is an English name that originated in the county of Lancashire during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English words "grei" meaning grey and "sunu" meaning son, referring to a person with grey hair or a grey complexion. The name may also have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who wore grey clothing.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Greyson can be found in the Lancashire Pipe Rolls of 1292, where a Richard Grayson is mentioned. The surname was also documented in the Subsidy Rolls of the same county in 1332, listing a John Grayson.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the Lancashire Parish Registers of 1539, where a Thomas Greyson is recorded. During this time, variations in spelling, such as Grayson, Graison, and Grason, were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

One notable historical figure with the surname Greyson was Sir John Greyson, a wealthy cloth merchant from Lancashire who lived in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in records from the Court of Chancery in 1487, where he was involved in a legal dispute over property rights.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Sir Thomas Greyson, a military officer who served under Queen Elizabeth I during the Anglo-Spanish War in the late 16th century. He was knighted for his bravery in the Battle of Cadiz in 1596.

In the 17th century, the name Greyson was associated with several places in Lancashire, such as Greyson's Fold, a hamlet near Blackburn, and Greyson's Farm, located in the parish of Whalley.

During the English Civil War, a Captain Robert Greyson fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was mentioned in dispatches for his actions at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644.

In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Greyson was Reverend William Greyson, a Church of England clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Preston from 1732 to 1768.

The Greyson surname has also been associated with several place names in Lancashire, such as Greyson's Brook, a stream near Burnley, and Greyson's Hill, a small hamlet in the Ribble Valley.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Greyson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Greyson 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 51 Greysons recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.58x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 51 3.58x
Yorkshire 25 2.10x
Middlesex 11 0.92x
Durham 9 2.52x
Surrey 9 1.54x
Cheshire 7 2.64x
Essex 5 2.11x
Hampshire 2 0.81x
Derbyshire 1 0.53x
Lanarkshire 1 0.26x
Leicestershire 1 0.75x
Northumberland 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Sutton in Lancashire leads with 14 Greysons recorded in 1881 and an index of 293.50x.

Place Total Index
Sutton 14 293.50x
Mortlake 9 344.83x
Salford 9 21.50x
Leyburn 7 1750.00x
Great Clacton 5 617.28x
Nantwich 5 162.34x
Richmond 5 268.82x
Bethnal Green London 4 7.67x
Darlington 4 29.03x
Eccleston In Prescot 4 55.94x
Merrington 4 579.71x
Warrington 4 23.70x
Westleigh 4 123.84x
Beeston 3 250.00x
Haigh 3 600.00x
Hulme 3 10.09x
Mile End Old Town London 3 11.75x
Preston 3 7.88x
Widnes 3 29.21x
Calverley Cum Farsley 2 59.17x
Aldershot 1 12.14x
Alnwick 1 32.57x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 3.21x
Barony 1 1.02x
Birkenhead 1 4.74x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 8.84x
Christ Church Newgate 1 178.57x
Doncaster 1 11.51x
Everton 1 2.20x
Hammersmith London 1 3.38x
Hartley Wintney 1 135.14x
Haslingden 1 16.95x
Helmington Row 1 60.24x
Kensington London 1 1.50x
Knaresborough 1 53.48x
Leicester St Martin 1 112.36x
Leven 1 285.71x
Longford 1 588.24x
Manningham 1 6.83x
Pinchinthorpe 1 2000.00x
Pudsey 1 15.72x
Sheffield 1 2.64x
St Martin In Fields 1 13.93x
Stayley 1 33.00x
Thornton Dale 1 312.50x

Top female names

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

FAQ

Greyson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Greyson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 123 people were recorded with the Greyson surname. That placed it at #17,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Greyson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 105 in 2016. That gives Greyson a modern rank of #30,114.

What does the Greyson surname mean?

An English surname derived from the medieval given name "Greyson", meaning "son of the gray-haired one".

What does the Greyson map show?

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