Contents [hide]

Gregg History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Gregg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland
Ireland
England

The saga of the Gregg family name begins among the people of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The Gregg name is derived from a diminutive form of the personal name Gregory. The Gaelic form of the name was Griogair, which was borrowed from the Latin name Gregorius. This in turn came from the Greek name Gregorios, a derivative of the word gregorein, which means to be awake or to be watchful.

Early Origins of the Gregg family

The surname Gregg was first found in Fife and "along the east central coast. In old parish records the name is spelled Greag (1689), Greg, Grege (1536), Gregg, Grieg, Grig (1508) Walter Greg witnessed a charter by Malcolm, earl of Fife, c. 1214-1226. Patrick Grige was admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1488, and John Grige held land there, 1493. Johannes Greg was chosen common councillor in Aberdeen, 1502." 1

The Gregg or Greig surname and their variants are closely associated with that of the great ancient Clan, the MacGregors, descended from Prince Gregory, son of Alpin, King of Scotland. The name was also found in England from about the 12th century in Yorkshire and Lancashire. In Dorset, William Gregge was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1234 and later, Henry Gregge was found in the Feet of Fines for Esses in 1306. 2

The Norwegian family who produced the famous composer Edvard Greig (1843-1907), are descended from the Greggs of Fraserburgh in Aberdeen. After the Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746, Grieg's great-grandfather, Alexander Greig (1739-1803), travelled widely before settling in Norway. Many of Edvard's concertos are dedicated to the MacGregor Clan.

Early History of the Gregg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gregg research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1273, 1379, 1488, 1502, 1522, 1567, 1735, 1739, 1759, 1788, 1798, 1803, 1819, 1878 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gregg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gregg Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Gregg has appeared Gregg, Greig and others.

Early Notables of the Gregg family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

John Gregg (1798-1878), Bishop of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross, born 4 Aug. 1798 at Cappa, near Ennis, where his father, Richard Gregg, lived on a small property. After attending a classical school in Ennis...

Gregg Ranking

In the United States, the name Gregg is the 1,055^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Gregg family to Ireland

Some of the Gregg family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gregg migration to the United States +

Many Scottish families suffered enormous hardships and were compelled to leave their country of birth. They traveled to Ireland and Australia, but mostly to the colonies of North America, where many found the freedom and opportunity they sought. It was not without a fight, though, as many were forced to stand up and defend their freedom in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of these Scots abroad have rediscovered their heritage in the last century through the Clan societies and other organizations that have sprung up across North America. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Gregg:

Gregg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Geo Gregg, who arrived in Virginia in 1695 4

Gregg Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Gregg, who arrived in New England in 1712 4
James Gregg who landed in New Hampshire in 1718
David Gregg, who arrived in New England in 1722 4
Hugh Gregg, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1766
John Conrad Gregg, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1770 4

Gregg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Gregg, who arrived in Maryland in 1808 4
Andrew Gregg, aged 20, who landed in Maryland in 1812 4
John Gregg, who landed in America in 1814 4
Alexander Gregg, who settled in South Carolina in 1820
Alexander Gregg, who settled in New York in 1822
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gregg migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gregg Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Eliza Gregg, aged 1, who landed in Canada in 1823
Fanny Gregg, aged 34, who arrived in Canada in 1823
Mary Gregg, aged 4, who arrived in Canada in 1823
Michael Gregg, aged 23, who landed in Canada in 1823
William Gregg, aged 5, who arrived in Canada in 1823
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gregg migration to Australia +

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

Gregg Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Gregg, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Henry Gregg, English convict who was convicted in Derby, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Robert Gregg, Jr. who was convicted in Ripon (Liberty of Rippon), North Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Richard Gregg, (b. 1812), aged 30, Cornish carpenter departing from Plymouth in October 1841 aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 26th February 1842 8
Mrs. Anna Maria Gregg, (b. 1816), aged 26, Cornish house maid departing from Plymouth in October 1841 aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 26th February 1842 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gregg 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:

Gregg Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Gregg, aged 38, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Zealand" in 1842
Christina Gregg, aged 24, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Zealand" in 1842
A.J. Gregg, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1868 9
Mr. Walter Gregg, (b. 1844), aged 30, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 9
Mrs. Louisa Gregg, (b. 1843), aged 31, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gregg (post 1700) +

David McMurtrie Gregg (1833-1916), American farmer, diplomat, Union cavalry general in the American Civil War
Julie Gregg (1937-2016), American Tony award nominated television, film and stage actress, best known for her portrayal of Sandra Corleone in The Godfather
Eric Eugene Gregg (1951-2006), American umpire in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1999
Alvis Forrest Gregg (b. 1933), former American football player and coach inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Donald Phinney Gregg (b. 1927), retired American politician and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Korea (1989-)
Dr. David Paul Gregg, American inventor of the optical disc in 1958
David Lawrence Gregg (1819-1868), American politician and diplomat, United States Commissioner to the Kingdom of Hawaii (1853-1857), 11th Illinois Secretary of State (1850-1853)
David Gregg (1846-1919), American minister at Park Street Church, Boston, Massachusetts and author
Robert Clark Gregg (b. 1962), American actor, screenwriter and director, best known for his role as Phil Coulson in the films Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), and Marvel's The Avengers (2012)
Andrew Gregg (1755-1835), American politician, United States Senator from Pennsylvania (1807-1813)
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gregg family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Walter Alfred George Gregg (d. 1945), British Ordnance Artificer 3rd Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 10

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html