Grise History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Grise surname is thought to be derived from the Middle English word "grice," which is in turn from the Old French "gris," meaning "grey." It was most likely originally a nickname for a grey-haired man. Although, there was also a Middle English word "grise," which meant "pig." 1

While this etymology is typical, we must take the time to point out the Norman origin which is just as likely as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Richard de Grisy, as holding lands there in 1180. 2

Early Origins of the Grise family

The surname Grise was first found in Norfolk where conjecturally they were, in 1066, Lords of the Manor of Brockdish, the King's land, whose feudal Lord was William de Noyers, Count of Nevers seated originally at Poitevin and St-Cyr de Nevers in Normandy. Sir William also held Grayhurst Manor through Bishop Odo from King William of Normandy. From this family also descend the Lords Monson and Viscounts Castlemaine. The original estates were sold in 1327. The village now consists of a church, St. Edmunds, which has both Saxon and Norman windows, obviously predating the Norman Conquest by many years.

The parish of St. Mawes in Cornwall has an interesting entry. One source asserts that the lands of St. Mawes including the castle "was first given to Sir Robert Le Grice, a Spaniard, by whose son, in the reign of Elizabeth, it was sold to Hannibal Vyvyan, Esq. of Trelowarren." 3

Early History of the Grise family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grise research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1555 and 1651 are included under the topic Early Grise History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grise Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Grice, Gryce, Gryse, Grise, Grisewood, DeGrice, Grycie and many more.

Early Notables of the Grise family

More information is included under the topic Early Grise Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grise Ranking

In the United States, the name Grise is the 18,680^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Grise family to Ireland

Some of the Grise family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grise migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Grise Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Grise, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Grise (post 1700) +

A. J. Grise, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Plainville, 1932 6

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"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 2016, July 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html