Gregor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Scotland

The surname Gregor is a patronymic surname derived from the personal name Gregorein, which means to be awake or watchful.

Early Origins of the Gregor family

The surname Gregor was first found in the 13th century, when the Gregorio family was recognized as nobility in Sicily, Umbria, Modena, Pisa, Arezzo, Terni, Aquila, and Benevento.

Early History of the Gregor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gregor research. The years 1691, 1746, 1757, 1830 and 1881 are included under the topic Early Gregor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gregor Spelling Variations

Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each of which has its distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the most standard Italian surname suffix is "I", whereas in Southern Italy the most typical surname suffix is "O". Sardinian is very different from other forms of Italian and in fact, it is considered to be its own distinct language. Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes, church officials, and the bearers of names, spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. As a consequence of the major changes in the Italian language and in the local spellings of Italian surnames that occurred over the course of history, there are numerous variations for the surname Gregor. These spelling variations include Gregori, Gregoria, Gregorio, Gregor, Grigori, Grigorio, Grigoriis, Ghirigori, Gregoli, Gregol, Greguol, Grigoli, Grioli, Grigolo, Grigolli, Gligori, Grivori, De Gregorio, Di Gregorio, De Gregoli, Gregorich, Gregoric, Gregoretti, Gregoletti, Grigoletti, Gregoletto, Gregolet, Gorghetto, Gregorini, Gregorin, Gregolin, Grigolon, Gregorace, Gregoraci, Gregorace, Grigoraci, Gligoraci, Gregoratti, Gregorat, Grigolato, Gorgatto, Gregorutti, Gori, Gorelli, Gorella, Gorela, Goretti, Gorini, Gorin, Gorioli, Goroni, Gorno, Goracci, Gorasso, Gorassini, Goratti, Goriani and many more.

Early Notables of the Gregor family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was

Annibale Gregori, a 16th century composer from Siena who became the Choirmaster of the Siena Cathedral. Giovanni Lorenzo Gregori of Lucca was a violinist, composer and music theorist during the mid 18...
Emanuele Gregorio was Cardinal in Messina in 1830. Albino Gorno of Casalmorano was a pianist and composer and moved to Cincinnati in 1881 where he became a professor of music. His brother Romeo Gorno...

Gregor Ranking

In the United States, the name Gregor is the 7,153^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Gregor migration to the United States +

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Gregor:

Gregor Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Gregor, who arrived in New York in 1819 2
John Gregor, who arrived in New York in 1819 2

Gregor Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Wenzel Gregor, who landed in Wisconsin in 1907 2

Gregor migration to Australia +

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

Gregor Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Lewis Gregor, a cabinet-maker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
John Gregor, a tailor, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
James Gregor, a joiner, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
James Gregor, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Royal Admiral" in 1838 3
Elizabeth Gregor, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Royal Admiral" in 1838 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gregor (post 1700) +

Andrew Gregor (b. 1975), retired American soccer midfielder
Anthony James Gregor (b. 1929), American Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley
William Gregor (1761-1817), English chemist and mineralogist, younger son of Francis Gregor, a captain in General Wolfe's regiment 4
Colin Gregor (b. 1981), Scottish rugby union player
Michael Gregor (1888-1953), born Mikheil Grigorashvili, Russian aircraft engineer of the FDB-1 biplane fighter
Michael Gregor, Austrian musician
Haryaksha Gregor Knauer, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Arizona, 2012 5
Gregor Hammerl (1942-2023), Austrian politician who was President of the Federal Council of Austria in 2012
Gregor Dorfmeister (1929-2018), German journalist and writer who used the pseudonym Manfred Gregor
Gregor Hayter (b. 1976), Scottish former rugby union player

Citations +

"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 Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ROYAL ADMIRAL 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838RoyalAdmiral.htm
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html