Show ContentsGrace History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Grace Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Grace

What does the name Grace mean?

The Grace surname is of uncertain origins and may have arisen independently from different sources; some instances of the name are thought to derive from the place name La Grâce, in Marne.

Early Origins of the Grace family

The surname Grace was first found in Provence, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Early History of the Grace family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grace research. Another 332 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1190, 1547, 1667, 1707, 1710 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Grace History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grace Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Grasse, Grase, Gresse, Grese, Gras, Le Grasse, Du Grasse, Du Gras, DeGrace, Degrace and many more.

Early Notables of the Grace family

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

Grace World Ranking

Australia, the name Grace is the 537th most popular surname with an estimated 7,232 people with that name. 1 However, in New Zealand, the name Grace is ranked the 453rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,525 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Grace is the 641st popular surname with an estimated 69 people with that name. 3 The United States ranks Grace as 1,167th with 27,357 people. 4

Grace migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Third Fleet
  • Mr. James Grace, (b. 1771), aged 16, English shoemaker convicted in London on 14th January 1784, sentenced for 7 years for stealing clothing, transported aboard the ship "Friendship" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 5
Following the Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Grace Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Israel Grace, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for life, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Grace Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Patrick Grace, (b. 1799), aged 23, Irish labourer who was convicted in Wicklow, Ireland for 7 years for smuggling, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1872 7
  • Mr. James Grace, (b. 1807), aged 31, Irish soldier born in Kilkenny who was convicted in Kannur (Cannanore), Kerala, India for 7 years for deception, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 20th August 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. James Grace, (b. 1790), aged 48, Irish labourer who was convicted in Kilkenny, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 29th December 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Edward Grace, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 10
  • William Grace, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grace 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:

Grace Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Charles Grace, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Lady Lilford
  • Peter Grace, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Rev. Grace, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Fairy Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1850 12
  • Mrs. Grace, British settler travelling from London with 3 children aboard the ship "Fairy Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1850 12
  • Mrs. Catherine Grace, British settler travelling from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th October 1851 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grace migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13
Grace Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Benjamin Grace, who settled in Barbados in 1680
Grace Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • Isaac Grace, who arrived in Jamaica in 1705-1706 14
  • Isaac Grace, who arrived in Antigua (Antego) in 1710 14

Grace migration to Canada +

Grace Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Grace, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
  • John Grace, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1752
  • Mr. Thomas Grace U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Port Matoon Association 15
Grace Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Grace migration to the United States +



Grace Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Geo Grace, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 14
  • Robert Grace, who landed in Virginia in 1635 14
  • Roger Grace, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 14
  • Georg Grace, who landed in Virginia in 1639 14
  • George Grace, aged 40, who arrived in New York in 1643 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Grace Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Isaac Grace, who landed in Virginia in 1703 14
  • Edward Grace, who settled in Maryland in 1726
  • Ann Grace, who arrived in Virginia in 1746 14
  • William Grace, who landed in America in 1796 14
Grace Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Grace, aged 19, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 14
  • James Grace, who landed in America in 1811 14
  • P H Grace, aged 33, who landed in South Carolina in 1812 14
  • Mary Grace, aged 56, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1812 14
  • Samuel Grace, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1812 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Grace (post 1700) +

  • Carolyn Grace (1951-2022), Australian pilot and aircraft restorer, and the only qualified female pilot of the Supermarine Spitfire since World War II
  • Sheffield Grace (1788-1850), Irish historiographer, second son of Richard Grace (d. 1801) of Boley, Queen's County, Ireland, M.P. for Baltimore 17
  • Nancy McCampbell Grace (b. 1952), American Virginia Myers Professor of English at The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio
  • John Hilton Grace (1873-1958), British mathematician who co-developed the Grace-Walsh-Szego theorem
  • Thomas Langdon Grace O.P. (1814-1897), American prelate, 2nd Roman Catholic Bishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Christopher John "Topher" Grace (b. 1978), American actor, best known for his role as Eric Forman on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show and as Eddie Brock/Venom in Spider-Man 3
  • Thomas Grace (1841-1921), Irish-born, American 2nd Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento, in Sacramento, California
  • Edward Laurence "Ted" Grace (b. 1931), Welsh-born, Australian politician, Member of the Australian Parliament for Fowler (1984-1998)
  • Michael James "Mike" Grace (b. 1970), American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1995 until 1999 for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • ... (Another 47 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Halifax Explosion
  • Miss Lily  Grace (1899-1917), Canadian resident from Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 18
  • Victor Maurice Grace (1919-1939), British Writer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 19

Suggested Readings for the name Grace +

  • Grace Family of Louisiana by Desdemona Grace Redlich.
  1. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  2. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  3. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
  9. Convict Records Australia. Retrieved on 18th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm
  11. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SOMERSETSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Somersetshire.htm
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  14. 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)
  15. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  16. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  17. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  18. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  19. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html

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