Greatrix History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Greatrix comes from when the family resided in an area that was referred to as the great ridge. Greatrix is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, or in this case a ridge. 1

Another source postulates that the name was from "Greatorick, from Gayteric, the old form of Catterick, Yorkshire, in which county the name remains common." 2

And two sources claim the name is from Great Rocks; a hamlet, Tideswell, Derbyshire. 3 4 This latter source dives into more detail: "the Derbyshire name of Greatorex is evidently derived from Great Rocks, a hamlet in the parish of Wormhill. Greatrix and Gratrix are now Lancashire forms of the name." 4

And yet another source claims the name is from Greterakes, a place name in the Domesday Book of 1086. 5

Early Origins of the Greatrix family

The surname Greatrix was first found in Essex where Augustine Brandon and Elizabeth Greatracks, of Westham, Essex married in 1382. 6

Early History of the Greatrix family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greatrix research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1625, 1628, 1629, 1647, 1659, 1666, 1675, 1683, 1697, 1712 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Greatrix History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greatrix Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Greatrix has been recorded under many different variations, including Gratrix, Greatrix, Greatrex, Great-Rex, Greatorix, Greatorex and many more.

Early Notables of the Greatrix family

Distinguished members of the family include Ralph Greatorex (c.1625-1675), an English mathematical instrument maker and apprentice of London clockmaker Elias Allen, his name appears in Pepys's Diary. His date of death is uncertain as the Dictionary of National Biography claims he died as late as 1712.Valentine Greatrakes (1629-1683), whose name...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Greatrix Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Greatrix family to Ireland

Some of the Greatrix family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 75 words (5 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 Greatrix family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Greatrix or a variant listed above: George, Henry and Lawrence Greatrake settled in Delaware in 1813.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)