Contents [hide]

Grass History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Grass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The surname Grass is generally thought to derive from the Old French word "grace," which means "charm" or "pleasantness." In some instances, it may have evolved from the Old French word "gros," which means "great," or "large." In either instance, the name was a nickname which evolved into a surname.

Early Origins of the Grass family

The surname Grass was first found in Normandy where "Raymond Fitz-William de Carew, surnamed ' Crassus,' 'Le Gros,' and ' Le Gras,' accompanied Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, in his celebrated expedition into Ireland in 1169, and he may be regarded 'as the Achilles of the enterprise.' He married Basilia de Clare, Strongbow's sister, with whom he acquired an enormous estate in Killarney, subsequently known as 'the Cantred of Grace's country;' for 'his cognomen Gros, given him on account of his prowess, gradually became first Gras, and then by English pronunciation Grace.' Many of the English families of this name deduce their descent from Ireland." 1

"The Irish family of Grace appears to be a branch of the Fitzgeralds. For the Baronets Grace, see Gammon." 2

"The Norman family of Grace has been prominent in Irish history since the first le Gros came to Ireland with Strongbow." 3

Early History of the Grass family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grass research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1559, 1620, 1652, 1689 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Grass History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grass Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelt names simply the way they sounded, which explains the various name spelling variations of the name Grass that were encountered when researching that surname. The many spelling variations included: Grace, Grase and others.

Early Notables of the Grass family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Oliver Grace, Knight of Ballylinch and Legan Castles, County Kilkenny, Lord of Carney, Tipperary, and Member of Parliament for that county in 1559; and his son, Oliver Grace, of Shanganagh, (now Gracefield), Member of Parliament for the borough of Ballynakill in 1689 Richard Grace...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Grass Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grass Ranking

In the United States, the name Grass is the 6,544^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Grass migration to the United States +

Irish immigration to North American began in the late 18th century as many Irish families desired to own their own land. This pattern of immigration grew slowly yet steadily until the 1840s. At that time, a failed crop and a growing population in Ireland resulted in the Great Potato Famine. Poverty, disease, and starvation ravaged the land. To ease their pain and suffering the Irish often looked upon North America as a solution: hundreds of thousands undertook the voyage. Their arrival meant the growth of industry and commerce for British North America and the United States. For the individual Irishman, it meant survival and hope, and the opportunity for work, freedom, and ownership of land. The early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Grass:

Grass Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Leonard Grass, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1730 5
Peter Grass, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 5
Jacob Grass, who settled in Philadelphia in 1752
George Grass, who settled in Philadelphia in 1752
Joseph Grass, who settled in Philadelphia in 1752
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grass Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gotleb Grass, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1807 5
Christian Grass, aged 30, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 5
Adam Grass, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 5
Christoph Georg Grass, who arrived in America in 1850 5
John Grass, aged 46, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grass migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Grass Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Danil Grass, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Regina Grass, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Sophia Grass, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Mr. Jacob Grass U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 6
Capt. Michael Grass U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Grass (post 1700) +

John Grass (1836-1918), also known as Mato Watakpe or Charging Bear, American Aboriginal chief of the Sihasapa (Blackfeet) band of Lakota people during the 1870s through 1890s; he fought at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana
Frank J. Grass (b. 1951), United States Army general who serves as 27th Chief of the National Guard Bureau
Alexander "Alex" Grass (1927-2009), American businessman and lawyer who founded Rite Aid, one of America's largest drugstore chains
William Grass, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1952 7
Sadie Grass, American politician, Representative from Michigan 17th District, 1960; Tax Cut Candidate for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Wayne County 12th District, 1961 7
Morton Grass, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 1st District, 1948 7
James E. Grass, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Franconia, 1948 7
H. C. Grass, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Minnesota, 1904 7
Daniel Grass (1774-1836), American politician, Delegate to Indiana State Constitutional Convention, 1816; Member of Indiana State House of Representatives, 1819-21; Member of Indiana State Senate, 1821-27 7
Ute Grass (1936-2021), born Ute Grunert, a German organist and teacher
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Grass 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: En Grace affie
Motto Translation: On Grace, depend.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html