NameCensus.

UK surname

Grieve

A Scottish and northern English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or thicket.

In the 1881 census there were 3,524 people recorded with the Grieve surname, ranking it #1,287 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,555, ranked #1,492, down from #1,287 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hawick and Wilton, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Selkirk, Northumberland and Langholm and Eskdale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grieve is 4,682 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.3%.

1881 census count

3,524

Ranked #1,287

Modern count

4,555

2016, ranked #1,492

Peak year

2010

4,682 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Grieve had 3,524 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,287 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,555 in 2016, ranked #1,492.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,183 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Grieve surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Grieve surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grieve 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 2,586 #1,141
1861 historical 2,571 #1,141
1881 historical 3,524 #1,287
1891 historical 3,828 #1,253
1901 historical 4,183 #1,348
1911 historical 1,040 #4,418
1997 modern 4,301 #1,517
1998 modern 4,523 #1,494
1999 modern 4,552 #1,501
2000 modern 4,557 #1,493
2001 modern 4,426 #1,503
2002 modern 4,540 #1,499
2003 modern 4,400 #1,505
2004 modern 4,418 #1,503
2005 modern 4,394 #1,487
2006 modern 4,411 #1,488
2007 modern 4,435 #1,490
2008 modern 4,456 #1,497
2009 modern 4,564 #1,499
2010 modern 4,682 #1,495
2011 modern 4,563 #1,509
2012 modern 4,473 #1,510
2013 modern 4,538 #1,513
2014 modern 4,568 #1,509
2015 modern 4,538 #1,508
2016 modern 4,555 #1,492

Geography

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Where Grieves are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Selkirk, Northumberland, Langholm and Eskdale, Hawick North and Jedburgh. 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 Hawick and Wilton Roxburgh
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Selkirk Scottish Borders
2 Northumberland 003 Northumberland
3 Langholm and Eskdale Dumfries and Galloway
4 Hawick North Scottish Borders
5 Jedburgh Scottish Borders

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grieve

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grieve

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

Grieve 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

Grieve falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Grieve

The surname Grieve originated from the northern regions of England and Scotland during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "greve," which means a feudal officer or bailiff. The name likely arose as an occupational surname for someone who held this type of administrative position.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "le Greve." This suggests that the name was already established in northern England by the 13th century. Additionally, there are references to individuals with the surname Grieve in various Scottish records from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The name Grieve has been connected to several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Grieve, a Scottish clergyman and academic who lived from 1670 to 1730. He served as the Principal of St. Mary's College, St. Andrews, and was a respected figure in the Scottish Presbyterian Church.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Robert Grieve, a Scottish botanist and horticulturist who lived from 1823 to 1888. He authored several influential works on plant life, including the renowned "A Modern Herbal," which was published in 1931.

In the literary world, Christopher Murray Grieve, better known by his pen name Hugh MacDiarmid, was a renowned Scottish poet and cultural activist who lived from 1892 to 1978. He played a significant role in the Scottish Renaissance movement and was a prominent figure in the revival of Scottish literature and culture.

One of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname Grieve is Grieves-town, a small village in Lanarkshire, Scotland, which dates back to the 16th century. The name likely originated from an individual or family with the surname Grieve who resided in or had some connection to the area.

During the 19th century, James Grieve, a Scottish horticulturist and nurseryman, developed and introduced the Grieve's Pippin apple variety. This apple cultivar became popular and was widely grown throughout the United Kingdom and beyond, further cementing the Grieve name in horticultural history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Grieve families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grieve 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. Midlothian leads with 604 Grieves recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.32x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 604 13.32x
Fife 439 21.91x
Lanarkshire 364 3.33x
Angus 231 7.37x
Roxburghshire 194 31.64x
Selkirkshire 126 41.14x
Northumberland 124 2.46x
Dumfriesshire 118 15.78x
Middlesex 102 0.30x
Lancashire 92 0.23x
Aberdeenshire 85 2.71x
Renfrewshire 85 3.24x
Perthshire 79 5.20x
East Lothian 75 16.73x
Berwickshire 74 18.05x
Orkney 73 19.60x
Durham 63 0.63x
Peeblesshire 54 33.92x
West Lothian 51 10.00x
Argyllshire 50 5.31x
Ayrshire 37 1.46x
Cumberland 31 1.06x
Stirlingshire 30 2.40x
Clackmannanshire 22 7.87x
Dunbartonshire 22 2.42x
Inverness-shire 22 2.18x
Suffolk 21 0.51x
Kirkcudbrightshire 20 4.08x
Yorkshire 20 0.06x
Banffshire 18 2.56x
Surrey 16 0.10x
Kincardineshire 15 3.64x
Pembrokeshire 11 1.02x
Kent 10 0.09x
Ross-shire 10 1.08x
Caithness 9 1.94x
Gloucestershire 9 0.14x
Leicestershire 9 0.24x
Hampshire 8 0.12x
Morayshire 7 1.33x
Warwickshire 7 0.08x
Channel Islands 6 0.60x
Cornwall 6 0.16x
Devon 5 0.07x
Royal Navy 3 0.74x
Hertfordshire 2 0.09x
Staffordshire 2 0.02x
Sussex 2 0.04x
Buteshire 1 0.49x
Cheshire 1 0.01x
Essex 1 0.02x
Kinross-shire 1 1.17x
Lincolnshire 1 0.02x
Nairnshire 1 0.97x
Northamptonshire 1 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. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 271 Grieves recorded in 1881 and an index of 14.85x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 271 14.85x
South Leith 122 23.91x
Barony 120 4.33x
Glasgow 113 5.81x
Dundee 96 8.20x
Hawick 61 44.45x
Dysart 56 41.50x
Dunfermline 55 17.85x
Govan 55 2.03x
Kirkcaldy 53 53.33x
Galashiels 38 33.57x
Wemyss 36 42.46x
Liff Benvie 33 6.93x
Langholm 32 59.55x
Rousay Egilshay 32 246.15x
Montrose 31 16.31x
Abbey 29 7.25x
Liverpool 29 1.19x
West Greenock 25 5.31x
Castleton 24 91.12x
Canonbie 23 72.40x
North Leith 23 10.96x
Largo 22 84.55x
Wilton 22 32.70x
Markinch 21 30.87x
Dalziel 20 16.98x
Innerleithen 20 47.33x
Selkirk 20 23.18x
Callander 19 75.85x
Moffat 19 55.69x
Penicuik 19 30.83x
Inveresk 18 14.66x
Kirkhope 18 283.46x
Melrose 18 23.35x
Abbotshall 17 22.71x
Collessie 17 73.69x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 17 15.85x
Turriff 17 33.60x
Berwick North 16 50.96x
Prestonkirk 16 71.36x
Everton 15 1.17x
Rothbury 15 103.73x
St Andrews 15 16.45x
Bathgate 14 12.65x
St Leonards 14 156.08x
Tynemouth 14 5.19x
Cameron 13 111.78x
Carnwath 13 19.21x
Cathcart 13 9.16x
Duddingston 13 14.28x
Dunoon Kilmun 13 17.69x
Edinburgh Old Church 13 35.70x
Eyemouth 13 38.01x
Hackney London 13 0.69x
Inverness 13 5.11x
Islington London 13 0.40x
Lady 13 117.86x
Aberdeen Old Machar 12 1.83x
Arbroath 12 11.55x
Bishopwearmouth 12 1.39x
Cockburnspath 12 91.60x
Mains 12 45.03x
Melrose 12 22.64x
Stanwix 12 50.87x
Stow 12 270.27x
Boness 11 15.65x
Dairsie 11 135.47x
Edinburgh New North 11 27.88x
Falkland 11 34.90x
Fraserburgh 11 12.46x
Kirkpatrick Juxta 11 90.02x
Lowestoft 11 5.65x
Tillicoultry 11 17.69x
Alloa 10 7.38x
Caldewgate 10 6.26x
Colinton 10 19.78x
Lismore Appin 10 31.90x
Newlands 10 105.15x
Rathven 10 7.58x
Rochester 10 252.53x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 31
Elizabeth 24
Jane 21
Margaret 13
Janet 12
Sarah 11
Ann 10
Isabella 8
Agnes 7
Anne 7
Ellen 7
Alice 6
Frances 6
Annie 5
Louisa 5
Edith 4
Eliza 4
Emily 4
Emma 4
Hannah 4
Harriet 4
Jessie 4
Catherine 3
Charlotte 3
Christina 3
Kate 3
Margt. 3
Cecilia 2
Eleanor 2
Ethel 2
Eveline 2
Isabela 2
Jemima 2
Susan 2
Willamina 2
Bessie 1
Blanche 1
Caroline 1
Cecelia 1
Eleanor.M. 1
Elisha 1
Elliner 1
Ellish 1
Gemima 1
Georgie 1
Georgina 1
Gertrude 1
Helen 1
Helena 1
Henrietta 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 36
William 30
James 22
Thomas 21
Robert 19
George 14
Andrew 10
Walter 8
Henry 7
Adam 5
David 5
Samuel 5
Alexander 3
Charles 3
Alfred 2
Edward 2
Fred. 2
Fredrick 2
Malcolm 2
Peter 2
Philip 2
Richard 2
Robt. 2
Alan 1
Anthony 1
Archibald 1
Arthur 1
Bernard 1
Bertie 1
Burnett 1
Ebenezer 1
Eric 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Frederick 1
Fredk.J. 1
Fredk.W. 1
Fredric 1
Gilbert 1
J. 1
J.T.E. 1
Jas. 1
Jno.W. 1
John.E. 1
Joseph 1
Jozeah 1
K.H. 1
Kenneth 1
Michael 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Grieve surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grieve surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,524 people were recorded with the Grieve surname. That placed it at #1,287 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grieve surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,555 in 2016. That gives Grieve a modern rank of #1,492.

What does the Grieve surname mean?

A Scottish and northern English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or thicket.

What does the Grieve map show?

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