Contents [hide]

Grice History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Grice History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Grice 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 Grice family

The surname Grice 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 Grice family

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

Grice Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Grice family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Grice of Brokedish

Grice Ranking

In the United States, the name Grice is the 3,544^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Grice family to Ireland

Some of the Grice 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.

Grice migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Grice Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Charles Grice, who was on record in Braintree, Massachussetts in 1651
Charles Grice, who landed in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1651 5
Thomas Grice, who settled in Virginia in 1665
Arthur Grice, who arrived in Virginia in 1683
John Grice, who arrived in Virginia in 1686 5

Grice Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Katherine Grice, an English convict sent to Maryland in 1774

Grice Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H. Grice, who arrived in San Francisco in 1850

Grice migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Grice Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Grice, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. John Grice, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Richard Grice, British Convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 8
Mr. John Grice, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Richard Grice, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Alice Brooks" in 1839 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grice migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Grice Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Ann Grice, (b. 1839), aged 24, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "David G. Fleming" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th December 1863 11
Miss Emma Grice, (b. 1862), aged 8 months, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 11
Mr. George Grice, (b. 1838), aged 25, British farm labourer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 11
Mrs. Sarah Grice, (b. 1842), aged 21, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 11
Miss Elizabeth Grice, (b. 1861), aged 2, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Grice (post 1700) +

Gordon Grice (b. 1965), American nature writer and essayist
Donald Matthew Grice (b. 1981), American mixed martial artist
Warren Grice (1875-1945), American Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia
Benning Moore Grice (1909-1988), American Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia
Keely A. Grice, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Charlotte, North Carolina, 1941-42 (acting, 1941-42) 12
Joseph T. Grice, American politician, Member of Georgia State House of Representatives from Tattnall County, 1926 12
Jesse A. Grice (1852-1915), American Republican politician, Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1909-13 12
George Daniel Grice, American politician, Member of South Carolina State House of Representatives from Charleston County, 1967; Resigned 1967; Member of South Carolina State Senate 15th District, 1968 12
F. M. Grice, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1912 12
Edmund P. Grice Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Charleston, South Carolina, 1946-60 (acting, 1946-47) 12
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ALICE BROOKS 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839AliceBrooks.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html