The exact English entry traces the surname to Middle English greyve, steward, plus son. It explicitly documents transfer to male and female given names. Gray-haired, Gray-family and Gregory interpretations in the licensed record are not independently established by this source.
Origin
English occupational or patronymic surname, transferred to a given name.
This describes the recorded surname history and subsequent given-name use, not the ancestry, occupation or identity of an individual bearer.
English pronunciation
/ˈɡɹeɪ.sən/
Directly recorded English pronunciation of the exact given-name spelling. The plain-text guide is approximate; a bearer’s preferred reading can differ. No audio reused.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Published name usage
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
Latest published record available for this spelling in each place and recorded usage
Place
Year
Recorded usage
Published births
Rank
Notes
Canada
2024
Girls
5
3383
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Canada
2025
Boys
401 · preliminary
69
2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
France
2025
Boys
5 (rounded to 5)
6732
Counts are rounded to the nearest multiple of five. Ranks use unrounded publisher counts with randomly ordered ties; equally rounded counts can have different ranks. National coverage excludes Mayotte before 2012. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Automated direction labels are withheld for this rounded-count series. Rank basis: source published.
England & Wales
2025
Boys
499
104
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Northern Ireland
2025
Boys
9
212
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Scotland
2025
Boys
70
68
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published.
Ireland
2025
Boys
19
244
Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published.
United States
2025
Girls
52
3100
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
United States
2025
Boys
5,805
51
Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts.
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Sources & notes
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Language of use: English
Checked against cited source
The exact English entry explicitly documents given-name use. This is separate from linguistic origin, nationality, ancestry and religious identity. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Meaning: Son of a steward, in the English surname route.
Checked against cited source
The exact English entry traces the surname to Middle English greyve, steward, plus son. It explicitly documents transfer to male and female given names. Gray-haired, Gray-family and Gregory interpretations in the licensed record are not independently established by this source. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin: English occupational or patronymic surname, transferred to a given name.
Checked against cited source
This describes the recorded surname history and subsequent given-name use, not the ancestry, occupation or identity of an individual bearer. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
English pronunciation: /ˈɡɹeɪ.sən/
Checked against cited source
Directly recorded English pronunciation of the exact given-name spelling. The plain-text guide is approximate; a bearer’s preferred reading can differ. No audio reused. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Supporting evidence: Specialist corroboration of the steward-related surname route
Checked against cited source
The specialist name guide also traces the given name through the English surname to a title for an estate administrator. This supports the steward-related account already shown here; it does not establish every independent surname history or the licensed Gregory interpretation. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Greyson and Grayson personal-name entries. Name researcher Ivar Utne and Babyverden, Grayson entry. Sources: https://www.babyverden.no/navn/grayson/; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Grayson&oldid=92692765. License: Wiktionary-derived material CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Babyverden source rights retained. Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented surname route or spelling relationship in original English, retaining its scope. No source entry prose, literary quotation, popularity table, image or audio reproduced.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0; Babyverden rights retained
Supporting evidence: Wiktionary: Grayson’s steward-related surname history
Checked against cited source
The source identifies the steward-related formation, occupational or patronymic surname use, given-name transfer and four alternative spellings. Existing English pronunciation and guide remain unchanged. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Syllables: 2 (this documented English reading)
Checked against cited source
Vowel-phoneme count for the cited reading(s) only; no universal count or source-language transfer asserted. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Graeson
Checked against cited source
Listed as an alternative form in the exact English entry. Each spelling keeps its own popularity observations; pronunciation is not automatically transferred. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Greighson
Checked against cited source
Listed as an alternative form in the exact English entry. Each spelling keeps its own popularity observations; pronunciation is not automatically transferred. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Greison
Checked against cited source
Listed as an alternative form in the exact English entry. Each spelling keeps its own popularity observations; pronunciation is not automatically transferred. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Spelling variant: Greyson
Checked against cited source
Listed as an alternative form in the exact English entry. Each spelling keeps its own popularity observations; pronunciation is not automatically transferred. Credit: Wiktionary contributors; adapted and condensed by Rare Baby Names. No source audio reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
Credit: Source : Insee, Fichier des prénoms, updated 16 July 2026.
License: Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab)
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: column names and sex codes mapped and unique case-only spellings matched to existing profiles. Published rounded counts and ranks retained.