Grace History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Etymology of Grace

What does the name Grace mean?

The surname Grace is generally thought to derive from the Old French word "grace," which means "charm" or "pleasantness." In some instances, it may have evolved from the Old French word "gros," which means "great," or "large." In either instance, the name was a nickname which evolved into a surname.

Early Origins of the Grace family

The surname Grace was first found in Normandy where "Raymond Fitz-William de Carew, surnamed ' Crassus,' 'Le Gros,' and ' Le Gras,' accompanied Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, in his celebrated expedition into Ireland in 1169, and he may be regarded 'as the Achilles of the enterprise.' He married Basilia de Clare, Strongbow's sister, with whom he acquired an enormous estate in Killarney, subsequently known as 'the Cantred of Grace's country;' for 'his cognomen Gros, given him on account of his prowess, gradually became first Gras, and then by English pronunciation Grace.' Many of the English families of this name deduce their descent from Ireland." 1

"The Irish family of Grace appears to be a branch of the Fitzgeralds. For the Baronets Grace, see Gammon." 2

"The Norman family of Grace has been prominent in Irish history since the first le Gros came to Ireland with Strongbow." 3

Early History of the Grace family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grace research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1559, 1620, 1652, 1689 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Grace History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grace Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes often spelled early surnames as they sounded. This practice often resulted in many spelling variations of even a single name. Early versions of the name Grace included: Grace, Grase and others.

Early Notables of the Grace family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Oliver Grace, Knight of Ballylinch and Legan Castles, County Kilkenny, Lord of Carney, Tipperary, and Member of Parliament for that county in 1559; and his son, Oliver Grace, of Shanganagh, (now G...
Richard Grace (1620?-1691), was Governor of Athlone, "a younger son of Robert Grace, Baron of Courtstown in the county of Kilkenny, and a lineal descendant of Raymond le Gros, one of the first Anglo-N...

Grace World Ranking

In the United States, the name Grace is the 1,167^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 4 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Grace is ranked the 641^st most popular surname with an estimated 69 people with that name. 5 And in Australia, the name Grace is the 537^th popular surname with an estimated 7,232 people with that name. 6 New Zealand ranks Grace as 453^rd with 1,525 people. 7

Grace migration to the United States +

Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape the horrific conditions. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Grace:

Grace Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Geo Grace, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 8
Robert Grace, who landed in Virginia in 1635 8
Roger Grace, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 8
Georg Grace, who landed in Virginia in 1639 8
George Grace, aged 40, who arrived in New York in 1643 8
... (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 8
Edward Grace, who settled in Maryland in 1726
Ann Grace, who arrived in Virginia in 1746 8
William Grace, who landed in America in 1796 8

Grace Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Grace, aged 19, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 8
James Grace, who landed in America in 1811 8
Samuel Grace, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1812 8
Solomon Grace, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1812 8
P H Grace, aged 33, who landed in South Carolina in 1812 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grace migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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 9

Grace Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Martin Grace who resided in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1803 10
Oliver Grace from County Carlow was married at St. John's, Newfoundland in 1810 10
Patrick Grace resided in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1815 10
Richard Grace was a planter of Crocker's Cove (Carbonear), Newfoundland in 1818 10
Robert Grace, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1828
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grace migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants 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 11

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 12
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 13
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 14
Edward Grace, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hooghly" in 1839 15
William Grace, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Somersetshire" in 1839 16
... (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 17
Mrs. Grace, British settler travelling from London with 3 children aboard the ship "Fairy Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1850 17
Mrs. Catherine Grace, British settler travelling from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th October 1851 17
... (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. 18

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 8
Isaac Grace, who arrived in Antigua (Antego) in 1710 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Grace (post 1700) +

Nancy McCampbell Grace (b. 1952), American Virginia Myers Professor of English at The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio
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 Langdon Grace O.P. (1814-1897), American prelate, 2nd Roman Catholic Bishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Thomas Grace (1841-1921), Irish-born, American 2nd Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento, in Sacramento, California
Michael James "Mike" Grace (b. 1970), American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1995 until 1999 for the Philadelphia Phillies
Michael Lee Grace (b. 1956), American former Major League Baseball player who played in 1978 for the Cincinnati Reds
Michael Paul Grace (1842-1920), Irish-born, American businessman, CEO of W. R. Grace and Company, a shipping company of New York City
Maggie Grace (b. 1983), born Margaret Grace Denig, an American a Young Artist Award nominated actress
John Grace (b. 1977), American-born, retired Canadian Football League linebacker
William "Willie" Grace (1917-2006), American Negro league baseball outfielder and pitcher who played from 1943 and 1948, Negro League World Series Champion (1945)
... (Another 47 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Grace family +

Halifax Explosion

Miss Lily Grace (1899-1917), Canadian resident from Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 19

HMS Royal Oak

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 20

The Grace Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: En Grace affie
Motto Translation: On Grace, depend.

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
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
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Australia. Retrieved on 18th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HOOGHLY 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Hooghly.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SOMERSETSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Somersetshire.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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
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