Show ContentsGravitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Gravitt has a long French heritage that first began in southern region of Languedoc. The name is derived from when the family lived in Languedoc but the name could have also been derived from the Old French word "grave," which meant "gravel."

Early Origins of the Gravitt family

The surname Gravitt was first found in Languedoc, where the family has held a family seat since very early times.

Early History of the Gravitt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gravitt research. Another 215 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1096, 1150, 1248, 1651, 1669, 1708 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Gravitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gravitt Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Grave, Grève, de Grèves, Grauve, Greive, Le Grave, de Grave, Graves and many more.

Early Notables of the Gravitt family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Hugues, a Lord of Villegly and of Félines; and Jacques Gravier (1651-1708), a French Jesuit missionary in the New World from Moulins, Allier...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gravitt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gravitt Ranking

In the United States, the name Gravitt is the 8,480th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Gravitt family

By 1643 there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Since immigration was slow, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Gravitt has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Gravitt were George Grave settled with his wife Elnor and son, John, aged 10; in Virginia in 1620; Hermon Up De Grave settled in Germantown, Pa. in 1693; Joan Grave, aged 30.


Contemporary Notables of the name Gravitt (post 1700) +

  • Catt Gravitt (1965-2012), American songwriter, SESAC's Songwriter of the Year in 2012


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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