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Greg History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Greg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Greg

What does the name Greg mean?

Greg is an ancient Pictish-Scottish name. It is derived from a diminutive form of the personal name Gregory. The Gaelic form of the name was Griogair, which was borrowed from the Latin name Gregorius. This in turn came from the Greek name Gregorios, a derivative of the word gregorein, which means to be awake or to be watchful.

Early Origins of the Greg family

The surname Greg was first found in Fife and "along the east central coast. In old parish records the name is spelled Greag (1689), Greg, Grege (1536), Gregg, Grieg, Grig (1508) Walter Greg witnessed a charter by Malcolm, earl of Fife, c. 1214-1226. Patrick Grige was admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1488, and John Grige held land there, 1493. Johannes Greg was chosen common councillor in Aberdeen, 1502." 1

The Gregg or Greig surname and their variants are closely associated with that of the great ancient Clan, the MacGregors, descended from Prince Gregory, son of Alpin, King of Scotland. The name was also found in England from about the 12th century in Yorkshire and Lancashire. In Dorset, William Gregge was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1234 and later, Henry Gregge was found in the Feet of Fines for Esses in 1306. 2

The Norwegian family who produced the famous composer Edvard Greig (1843-1907), are descended from the Greggs of Fraserburgh in Aberdeen. After the Battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746, Grieg's great-grandfather, Alexander Greig (1739-1803), travelled widely before settling in Norway. Many of Edvard's concertos are dedicated to the MacGregor Clan.

Early History of the Greg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greg research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1273, 1379, 1488, 1502, 1522, 1567, 1735, 1739, 1759, 1788, 1798, 1803, 1819, 1878 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Greg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greg Spelling Variations

Translation has done much to alter the appearance of many Scottish names. It was a haphazard process that lacked a basic system of rules. Spelling variations were a common result of this process. Greg has appeared Gregg, Greig and others.

Early Notables of the Greg family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

John Gregg (1798-1878), Bishop of Cork, Cloyne, and Ross, born 4 Aug. 1798 at Cappa, near Ennis, where his father, Richard Gregg, lived on a small property. After attending a classical school in Ennis...

Greg Ranking

In France, the name Greg is the 6,634^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Greg family to Ireland

Some of the Greg family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greg migration to the United States +

Many Scots left their country to travel to the North American colonies in search of the freedom they could not find at home. Of those who survived the difficult voyage, many found the freedom they so desired. There they could choose their own beliefs and allegiances. Some became United Empire Loyalists and others fought in the American War of Independence. The Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up in the last century have allowed many of these disparate Scots to recover their collective national identity. A search of immigration and passenger ship lists revealed many early settlers bearing the Greg name:

Greg Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jane Greg, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 4
John Greg, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 4
Mary Greg, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 4
Ninian Greg, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 4
William Greg, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Greg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Greg, aged 46, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 4
Thomas Greg, aged 18, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 4
Robert Hyde Greg, who landed in New York in 1842 4

Greg migration to Australia +

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

Greg Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

G. Greg, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orleana" in 1839 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Greg (post 1700) +

William Rathbone Greg (1809-1881), English essayist, born at Manchester in 1809, son of Samuel Greg, merchant, and brother of Robert Hyde Greg [q. v.] and Samuel Greg [q. v.] 6
Samuel Greg (1804-1876), English philanthropist, fourth son of Samuel Greg, a mill-owner at Quarry Bank, near Wilmslow, Cheshire 6
Robert Hyde Greg (1795-1875), English economist and antiquary, born in King Street, Manchester, on 24 Sept. 1795, was son of Samuel Greg 6
Percy Greg (1836-1889), English author, son of William Rathbone Greg [q. v.], born at Bury in 1836, and died in London on 24 Dec. 1889 6
Elizabeth Greg (1790-1882), English founder of the first public wash-houses in the United Kingdom in the wake of the 1832 Liverpool Cholera epidemic, daughter of Samuel Greg
Samuel Greg (1758-1834), British entrepreneur, founder of Quarry Bank Mill, a cotton spinning mill in Styal, Cheshire in 1782 which became the largest spinning and weaving business in the United Kingdom
James Greg Hibbard (b. 1964), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1989 through 1994
R Greg Albach (b. 1973), American actor
J. Greg Haughey, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1924 7
John Greg Nichols (1813-1898), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Los Angeles, California, 1852-53, 1856-59 8

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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) ORLEANA 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Orleana.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 2016, February 5) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html