boy's name
Grayson
GRAY-sun
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 152,528
the United States
#51
2025 births
Grayson is a boy's name of English origin usually explained as "son of the grieve," a grieve being a steward or bailiff who managed an estate. A competing reading takes it simply as son of someone called Gray.
- Grayson is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2016, when 8,850 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 566 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1905.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Grayson over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 12 |
| 1910s | 189 |
| 1920s | 273 |
| 1930s | 212 |
| 1940s | 241 |
| 1950s | 247 |
| 1960s | 293 |
| 1970s | 417 |
| 1980s | 1,181 |
| 1990s | 5,391 |
| 2000s | 15,730 |
| 2010s | 67,822 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 41,176 |
What Grayson means
Grayson most likely means son of a grieve — an estate steward or overseer — rather than son of a man named Gray. The occupational reading is the one most etymologists favor, though both explanations circulate.
Where Grayson comes from
Grayson comes from the Middle English graveson or greyveson, from grieve, a northern English and Scottish term for a bailiff or estate manager, related to the Old English gerefa — the same word that gives English reeve and, in compound, sheriff. A grieve supervised farm labor and answered to the landowner, a position of real if modest authority. The alternative derivation treats the name as a straightforward patronymic from the byname Gray, given for gray hair or gray clothing. The surname is recorded in northern England from the medieval period, and its use as a given name is modern and largely American.
Grayson in use
Grieve, reeve, and sheriff all descend from the same Old English word for an official.
How popular is Grayson?
In 2025, Grayson was given to 5,857 babies in the United States, ranking #51 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Grayson is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Grayson
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Grayson also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Grayson over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Grayson
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Grayson in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Grayson
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Grayson — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Grayson
What does the name Grayson mean?
Grayson most likely means "son of the grieve," a grieve being an estate steward or bailiff.
What is the difference between Grayson and Greyson?
Only spelling; Grayson is the more common form in American use.
Was Grayson originally a surname?
Yes. It is recorded as a northern English surname from the medieval period.
How popular is the name Grayson?
In 2025, Grayson was given to 5,857 babies in the United States, ranking #51 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Grayson a girl's or a boy's name?
Grayson is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Grayson?
Grayson has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Grayson?
Grayson is usually shortened to Gray and Gracie.
Is Grayson a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Grayson currently ranks #51 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.