Contents [hide]

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

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Grigg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Grigg

What does the name Grigg mean?

The Picts of ancient Scotland were the tribe of the ancestors of the Grigg family. The name Grigg 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 Grigg family

The surname Grigg 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 Grigg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grigg 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 Grigg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grigg Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Grigg has been spelled Gregg, Greig and others.

Early Notables of the Grigg 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, he entered Trinity College, Dublin, in 1819, where he took a sizarship, a scholarship, and many prizes...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Grigg Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grigg Ranking

In the United States, the name Grigg is the 5,787^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Grigg is ranked the 969^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,098 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Grigg family to Ireland

Some of the Grigg 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.

Grigg migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Grigg:

Grigg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tho Grigg, aged 16, from Suffolk, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe", bound for Roxbury 5
William Grigg, who landed in Virginia in 1664 5
George Grigg, who landed in Maryland in 1676 5

Grigg Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Grigg, who arrived in Virginia in 1723 5

Grigg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Grigg, aged 41, who landed in Ohio in 1812 5

Grigg migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Grigg Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Grigg U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 6
Mr. Thomas Grigg U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Cape Ann Association 6

Grigg migration to Australia +

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

Grigg Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Grigg, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. John Grigg, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, London, England for life, transported aboard the "Enchantress"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Jacob Grigg, (b. 1816), aged 21, Cornish sawyer, from Roche, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "City of Edinburgh" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st August 1837 9
Mr. John Grigg, (b. 1812), aged 25, Cornish carpenter, from Roche, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "City of Edinburgh" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st August 1837 9
Mrs. Ann Grigg, (b. 1812), aged 25, Cornish housemaid, from Langtry Duock, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "City of Edinburgh" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st August 1837 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grigg 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:

Grigg Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard Grigg, aged 20, a smith, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cuba" in 1840
Mr. George Grigg, (b. 1811), aged 28, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 10
Mrs. Grigg, (b. 1810), aged 29, British settler travelling from London with a child aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 10
Emma Grigg, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
Frederick H. Grigg, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Grigg (post 1700) +

Taylor Rousseau Grigg (1999-2024), American TikTok influencer and businesswoman
William Norman Grigg (1963-2017), American author and senior editor of The New American magazine
Ruth H. Grigg, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1964 11
Forrest Porter "Chubby" Grigg Jr. (1926-1983), American NFL football tackle who played from 1946 to 1953
Charles Leiper Grigg (1868-1940), American inventor of Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime soda, better known as 7 Up
Cecil Burkett "Tex" Grigg (1891-1968), American NFL football running back who played from 1925 to 1927
Thomas Henry Grigg (1889-1969), Australian politician
Simon Grigg (b. 1955), New Zealand music businessman, writer, broadcaster, publisher and producer
Sir Percy James Grigg PC (1890-1964), British civil servant, Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the War Office, Secretary of State for War (1942-1945)
Mary Victoria Cracroft Grigg MBE (1897-1971), Lady Polson, a New Zealand politician, Member of Parliament for Mid-Canterbury (1942â€“1943)
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Grigg family +

Empress of Ireland

Mrs. Pricilla Grigg (1860-1914), née White Canadian Second Class Passenger from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 12
Mr. James Grigg (1860-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 12

Sources +

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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/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
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/enchantress
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_bounty_nsw.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, June 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html