Show ContentsGraicy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Graicy comes from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada, where it was used to indicate someone who worked as a shoemaker. The Scottish surname is derived from the Gaelic word greusaich or griasaich, which originally meant a decorator or embroiderer but later came to mean a shoemaker.

Early Origins of the Graicy family

The surname Graicy was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

The English Gracy or Grancey variant is Norman in origin as "Grancey is on the confines of Champagne and Burgundy, an gave its name to a great Burgundian family, several times Constables of the province, that ended in the fourteenth century with Eudo de Grancey. The feudal castle of Grancey, dating from this time, was only pulled down at the beginning of the last century. [(1700's)] The first trace I could find of the family in England was at Warford in Cheshire; the seat of the Grascys, Grasties, or Greestys, for many successive generations." 1

Early History of the Graicy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Graicy research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1613, 1639, 1651, 1653 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Graicy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Graicy Spelling Variations

Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. In various documents Graicy has been spelled Gracie, Gracey, Grassy, Greacey and others.

Early Notables of the Graicy family

More information is included under the topic Early Graicy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Graicy family to Ireland

Some of the Graicy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Graicy family

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Graicy, or a variant listed above: three brothers and a sister, who settled in Charlestown, South Carolina, in 1767. A. Gracie settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1821; Wm. Gracie settled in New York in 1821.



  1. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3


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