Grau History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Belgium
France
England

Directly translated the word gros means "large". It is thought that the name was originally used for a merchant that sold popular fruits or other various food items. 1

Early Origins of the Grau family

The surname Grau was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France but one of the first records of the name was found in England where William le Gros (died 1179) was the Count of Aumale (Earl of Albemarle), Earl of York, and Lord of Holderness.

The name de Grosso was also found in Normandy around 1180 and it is assumed by some sources that this could be an early root for the name Gros in France. 2

Early History of the Grau family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grau research. Another 204 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1419, 1554, 1588, 1601, 1629, 1634, 1714, 1771, 1808, 1809, 1810 and 1835 are included under the topic Early Grau History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grau Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gros, Graux, Graulx, Grot, Graut, Grauts, Grault, Graults, Grau, Graus, Graue, Graues, Gross, de Gros and many more.

Early Notables of the Grau family

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Grau Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grau Ranking

In the United States, the name Grau is the 9,692^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Grau is ranked the 2,685^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 4

Grau migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Grau Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Leonard Grau, who landed in America in 1730 5
Frans Grau, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1741 5
Christian Grau, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 5
Joh Conrad Grau, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 5
Johannes Grau, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grau Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Grau, aged 40, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1822 5
Conrad Grau, who landed in America in 1832 5
Carl Grau, who arrived in America in 1833 5
Friederike Grau, who arrived in America in 1854 5
Johann Heinrich Grau, who landed in America in 1854 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Grau (post 1700) +

Dieter Grau (1913-2014), German-born, American rocket scientist, member of the "von Braun rocket group" working on the V-2 rockets in World War II
Shirley Ann Grau (b. 1929), American novelist and short story writer awarded the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Doris Grau (1924-1995), American actress, script supervisor and voice actress
Tom Grau, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Iowa State Senate 5th District, 1982 6
Jeanette Grau, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 2000 6
Héctor Grau, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 1996, 2004 6
George M. Grau, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1936 6
Hugo Grau (1899-1984), German veterinary anatomist, co-founder of the World Association of Veterinary Anatomists and the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists
Albin Grau (1884-1942), artist, architect and occultist
Shanti Grau Roney (b. 1970), Swedish actor

Citations +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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