Contents [hide]

Grayson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Grayson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Grayson family

The surname Grayson was first found in Yorkshire, where the first record of the family was Richard Grayveson who was listed as holding lands there in 1327. Nearby in Cumberland (Cumbria), John Graiveson was listed there in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included John Graveson and John Grayfson.

The name literally means "'Son of the greyve or steward.' and is a Lancashire and Yorkshire name, all the modern variants being still found in the Leeds district. Grayveson, Graysoun and Grayveston are all found in the Preston Guild Rolls." 1

Richard de Gravesend (d. 1279), was Bishop of Lincoln, became Dean of Lincoln in 1254, and was Treasurer of Hereford previously to 1258. "In September 1254 he, together with the Dean of London, was appointed to carry out the pope's confirmation of the excommunication of the infractors of Magna Charta, and a letter which he addressed to the Bishop of Lichfield on this matter in May 1255 is preserved. In July 1258 he was appointed to decide the rights of the abbey of Oseney to the church of St. George-in-the-Castle at Oxford. He was elected bishop of Lincoln on 23 Sept. 1258." 2

Richard de Gravesend (d. 1303), Bishop of London, "was Prebendary of Totenhall, and Treasurer of St. Paul's for some years before 1278. He was also Archdeacon of Northampton from 1272 to 1280, and in 1275 was Prebendary of Sutton in Lincoln Cathedral. He was elected bishop of London in 1280." 2

Stephen de Gravesend (d. 1338), was Bishop of London, and was probably a son of Sir Stephen de Gravesend, and was nephew of Richard de Gravesend, Bishop of London.

Early History of the Grayson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grayson research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1332, 1381 and 1426 are included under the topic Early Grayson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grayson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Graveson, Grayson, Grason, Grayshan, Grayshon, Gration, Graveston, Grayston, Graystone, Graiveson, Grayfson and many more.

Early Notables of the Grayson family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Grayson of Yorkshire

Grayson Ranking

In the United States, the name Grayson is the 1,618^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 3

Grayson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Grayson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Grayson, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 4

Grayson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Grayson, a bonded passenger who arrived in America in 1730
Thomas Grayson, who landed in Virginia in 1754 4
Spence Grayson, who arrived in Virginia in 1771 4

Grayson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Grayson who settled in Wilmington North Carolina in 1804
Anthony Grayson, who was naturalized in New York in 1806
G. Grayson, who was recorded arriving at the port of San Francisco in 1851
G Grayson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Grayson migration to Australia +

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

Grayson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Curry Grayson, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5
Miss Mary Ann Grayson who was convicted in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1876 6
Charles Grayson, aged 25, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Royal Charlie" 7
Lawrence Grayson, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Lady Ann"

Contemporary Notables of the name Grayson (post 1700) +

Keith Grayson (1966-2022), professionally known as DJ Kay Slay, an American DJ and record executive from New York City, "Hip Hop's One-Man Ministry of Insults"
C. Jackson "Jack" Grayson Jr. (1923-2017), American chairman of APQC, U.S. chairman of the Price Commission in the United States from 1971 to 1973
George Wallace Grayson Jr. (1938-2015), American politician, Member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1973-1981)
Brigadier-General Thomas Jackson Grayson (1896-1962), American Director of Selective Service Mississippi (1940-1942) 8
Frances Wilson Grayson (1890-1927), American aviatrix who died flying to Newfoundland just prior to her planned trip to cross the Atlantic Ocean
Ralph Lawrence Grayson (1921-1991), American scientist, engineer, pilot, attorney, and soldier who went on to be a pioneer in network computing and play a lead role in the development of the Space Shuttle
Andrew Jackson Grayson (1819-1869), American ornithologist and artist
David Grayson (1870-1946), American author who wrote under the pseudonym Ray Stannard Baker
Kathryn Grayson (1922-2010), American actress and operatic soprano singer
Howard A. Grayson Jr., American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Connecticut, 1988, 1992 9
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
South Australian Register Thursday 25th May 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Royal Charlie 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/royalcharlie1854.shtml
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 11) Thomas Grayson. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Grayson/Thomas_Jackson/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html