Grasty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Picts of ancient Scotland were the tribe of the ancestors of the Grasty family. The name Grasty is derived from Christopher or perhaps from Christian. "Christie and Christy are all but invariably North English or Border surnames, Christian being a former favourite font-name in those districts. It is still a popular girl's name in the Scottish Lowlands." 1

Early Origins of the Grasty family

The surname Grasty was first found in Edinburghshire, a former county, now part of the Midlothian council area where they held a family seat at Carvant. By 1296 they had moved northward to Stirlingshire and there is a section of the Stirling Antiquary called "the Christies and their doings." 2

"The surname is very common in Fife, which indeed seems to have been an early home of the name. In a charter dated 13th July 1457, granted by the abbot of Lindores to the burgh of Newburgh, John Chrysty appears as a burgess. John Chryste was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1530. Sir Robert Criste, presbyter, witness in Fife, 1547." 2

As one would expect early records also show the family across the northern border of England, specifically: Thomas Crysty who was listed in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1412. 3

Early History of the Grasty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grasty research. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1476, 1541, 1565, 1569, 1582, 1590, 1597, 1602, 1605, 1612, 1634, 1688, 1710, 1730, 1748, 1761, 1766, 1773, 1774, 1784, 1796, 1797, 1800, 1803, 1810, 1816, 1823, 1829, 1831, 1838, 1840, 1865, 1874 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Grasty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grasty Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages did not have access to a set of spelling rules. They spelled according to sound, the result was a great number of spelling variations. In various documents, Grasty has been spelled Christie, Chrystie, Chrysty, Christy, McChristie, McChristy, Christe, Christi and many more.

Early Notables of the Grasty family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Hugh Christie (1710-1774), Scottish school-master and grammarian, the third son of Alexander Christie, great-uncle of William Christie, Unitarian writer [q. v.] He was born at Garvock, Kincardineshire, in 1710, and educated at King's College, Aberdeen, where he took the degree of M.A. in 1730. Soon after taking his degree he was a pointed rector of the grammar school of Brechin, an office which-the held until he was elected rector of the grammar school of Montrose, where he remained until his death (1774)James Christie, the Elder (1730-1803), English auctioneer, resigned a commission in the...
Another 272 words (19 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Grasty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grasty Ranking

In the United States, the name Grasty is the 18,203^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Grasty family to Ireland

Some of the Grasty family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grasty migration to the United States +

The cruelties suffered under the new government forced many to leave their ancient homeland for the freedom of the North American colonies. Those who arrived safely found land, freedom, and opportunity for the taking. These hardy settlers gave their strength and perseverance to the young nations that would become the United States and Canada. Immigration and passenger lists have shown many early immigrants bearing the name Grasty:

Grasty Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Sharshall Grasty, who arrived in Virginia in 1719 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Grasty (post 1700) +

James H. C. Grasty, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Virginia 10th District, 1920 6
Mrs. George Grasty, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1936 6

The Grasty Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sic viresco
Motto Translation: Thus I flourish

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html