| ![Show Contents]() Grand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of GrandWhat does the name Grand mean? Despite claims to the contrary there is evidence that the surname claims descent from the Grants or Grands of Grand Court in St. Michel du Treport, and were the Counts of Eu. Recognizing that the Norman history does not necessarily conflict and remembering that the Normans were overrun by the Vikings in the 9th century the name Grant is still correctly interpreted as the Norman "Grand" meaning "Big" or Eminent." Grand Coat of Arms CreationThe Grants have as their crest a burning mount, which is probably an imitation of the Beltane fires in the extensive Strathspey moor known as Sliabh Grianais, or plain of the sun. There are many Druidical remains here, and some think that the Grants got their name from the settlement here. Others derive it from the Gaelic grannda, meaning ugly, from an ancestor who was particularly ungainly. There is more reason to believe that it is derived from the French grand. The motto of the Clan is " Stand fast, Craig-ellachie, " a well known rock. As showing the power of the old slogan on members of the clan, a tale is related of its effect on a former President of the U.S.A., Ulysses S. Grant. During a presidential election he was making a tour through one of the doubtful States and was travelling on an observation car. His political friends were delivering addresses to crowds at the stations, as the President himself was no great speaker. At one station a Scotsman and an American citizen were talking of the grim, taciturn soldier, Grant, who, the American said, was devoid of human emotion. The Scotsman said, "I believe I can rouse him to show emotion and enthusiasm." A bet was laid. When the car with the President stopped, the Scotsman lifted his hat and shouted, "Stand fast, Craig-ellachie ." The effect was instantaneous. A glow suddenly appeared on the President's face; gone was the warrior's grimness, and, returning the salutation, he smilingly bowed his acknow-ledgement. The Scotsman then explained that the magic of his words lay in the fact that they were the war cry of Clan Grant. The bet was paid. 1 Early Origins of the Grand familyThe surname Grand was first found in Inverness-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) divided between the present day Scottish Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles, and consisting of a large northern mainland area and various island areas off the west coast, the shire was anciently both a Pictish and Norwegian stronghold, where they held a family seat at Strathspey from very early times. The earliest records of the name were found in the county of Inverness (in the modern Highland and Western Isles regions). One of the first listings of the Grant family in Scotland is that of Thomas Grant, a merchant of the king of Scotland who was deposed from his position as visor of York Castle on January 2, 1252. Later Lawrence and Robert Grant were witnesses at Inverness in 1258. Sir Laurence Grant was sheriff of Inverness in 1266. John le Graunt was taken prisoner at Dunbar in 1297 and was held at Gloucester Castle. Maurice Grant was sheriff of Inverness in 1330. Richard le Grant (also known as Richard Grant) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1229 to 1231. 2 The motto "Stand Fast" evolved into a surname south of the Scottish border as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included an entry for Thomas Stanfast, Oxfordshire. 3 In Norfolk, John Standfast, of Lynn, Norfolk was recorded there 3 Edward VI (during the third year of Edward VI's reign.) 4 Early History of the Grand familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grand research. Another 250 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1263, 1333, 1620, 1674, 1695 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Grand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Grand Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Grant, Grantt, Graunt, Grannd (Gaelic) and others. Early Notables of the Grand familyAnother 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Grand Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Grand RankingIn the United States, the name Grand is the 13,773rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in France, the name Grand is ranked the 418th most popular surname with an estimated 10,207 people with that name. 6 Migration of the Grand family to IrelandSome of the Grand 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.
| Grand migration to the United States | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Grand Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Mary Grand, who settled in Virginia in 1639
- John Grand, who settled in Virginia in 1650
- Alexander Grand, who landed in America in 1652 7
- Joost Grand, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1662 7
- Joost Grand, who settled in the New Netherlands in 1662
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Grand Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Anna Eliz Grand, aged 18, who landed in New York in 1710 7
- Augustine Le Grand, who landed in Louisiana in 1718 7
- Pierre Guerard De Grand, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 7
- John Rodoiph Grand, who landed in South Carolina in 1744 7
Grand Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Anto Grand, aged 20, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1831 7
- Geo Grand, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1837 7
- J. M. Grand, who settled in San Francisco in 1852
- Peter Grand, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1868
| Grand 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: Grand Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Miss Mary Ann Grand, (b. 1843), aged 21, British domestic servant travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 8
- Mr. John Grand, (b. 1854), aged 10, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 8
- Mrs. Mary Ann Grand (Grandi), (b. 1823), aged 41, British nurse travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 8
- Mr. Grand, English settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dagmar" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 21st May 1869 8
| Grand 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. 9Grand Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Richard Grand, who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1654
| Contemporary Notables of the name Grand (post 1700) | + |
- Mark Grand (b. 1955), American software architect
- Robert Grand, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Indiana, 2012 10
- Jennie A. Grand, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York Democratic State Committee, 1948 10
- David Grand, American politician, Candidate for New York State Senate, 1946, 1948, 1952; Candidate for New York State Assembly from Bronx County 11th District, 1954 10
- Major-General Laurence Douglas Grand (1898-1978), British Director of Fortifications & Works, War Office (1949-1952) 11
- Keith Walter Chamberlain Grand, Chairman, Penarth Engineering Co. Ltd
- Steve Grand (b. 1958), English computer scientist
- Simon Grand (b. 1984), English footballer
- Sarah Grand (1854-1943), British feminist writer
- Julie Le Grand, British actress
- ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Grand Motto and War Cry | + |
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: Stand fast
War Cry: "Stand fast, Craig-ellachie" a well known rock.
- Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
- 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)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- 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
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 17) Laurence Grand. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Grand/Laurence_Douglas/Great_Britain.html
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