Girls can be Scarlet and Violet, but boys are a less colorful bunch. Here’s one that might reverse that trend.
Thanks to Leah for suggesting Gray as Baby Name of the Day.
Grey is the standard spelling in British English. Sometime during the nineteenth century, gray became standard in American English. By the time the Confederate Army took to the field during the US Civil War, they were “the boys in gray.”
Both spellings have been in use as surnames for generations. If you’re reading this with a cup of tea, doubtless you’re familiar with Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, he of tea. Charles came from a prominent family and went on to serve as prime minister in the 1830s. Stories of how the blend – flavored with bergamot – came to bear his name are several. You can even buy Earl Grey-flavored Kit Kats on your next trip to Japan.
There’s also the nineteenth century surgeon, Henry Gray. His compilation, Gray’s Anatomy, was first published in 1838, and never been out of print – as of 2008, they were on the 40th edition. But he’s current news because of prime time television hit Grey’s Anatomy, featuring Dr. Meredith Grey.
In many cases, the surname referred to hair color. The word can be found in many a European language from early days – grei in Mercian, gre in Old Frisian - circa 700.
Go back far enough and you’ll find Graye and Greye, too, both of which may share the color’s roots – or not.
Ancheteil de Greye came to England with William the Conqueror. His name remains on the map in Normandy’s Graye-sur-Mer, and in the English village of Rotherfield Greys. The Crusaders built an island on a tiny island in the Gulf of Aqaba. named Ile de Greye. So some Grays are wearing a place name.
Go back into Ancheteil’s family tree and it gets more tangled yet. His surname may not derive from an aged ancestor, but from the Latin – gratus – thankful, the Celtic Grady – noble – or the French Croy – chalk or cross.
And, of course, it’s also possible that similar sounding foreign names became Gray.
In any case, Gray appeared in the US Top 1000 a handful of times between 1895 and 1901. And why not? Most surnames have been in sparing use as given names over the years. The most notable bearers might be:
- Former California governor Gray Davis. He’s best known as Gray, be he was born Joseph Graham Davis, Jr.;
- Torchwood fans will recognize the name thanks to Captain Jack Harkness’ brother Gray, thought lost following a childhood accident, but who turns up as his brother’s nemesis;
- 2002 bestseller The Nanny Diaries featured a privileged charge called Grayer.
The real story here isn’t Gray on his own. It’s really a string of surname-sounding names that fit in perfectly with all of those nouveau picks:
- Grayson ranked #172 in 2009;
- Greyson came in at #347;
- Grady fell right in between the two spellings, at #287.
This makes for an interesting phenomenon. Many parents who dismiss Caiden and Jayden find Grayson and Graydon acceptable, even sophisticated. And it’s true – Jayden has no history as a surname, but Grayson has been worn by soldiers, scientists and even Batman’s sidekick, Robin.
And yet, Grayson and company are clearly in danger of sinking under the weight of all those ay names. The simpler Gray might make for the more distinctive choice.
As if on cue, there’s a great article on Babble.com today, by Babble co-founder Rufus Griscom: http://www.babble.com/mom/health-and-relationships/parents-are-happy/
It’s a response to the New York Magazine article insisting that parenting is (mostly) misery-inducing drudgery. But it also mentions that Griscom’s two sons are called Declan and Grey.
If you are a parent, you’ll thoroughly enjoy Griscom’s thoughtful response. And if you’re just here for the names, well – Declan and Grey are certainly quite the impressive sibset!
I actually like Grey/Gray (I spell it Grey) a lot.I also like names with a similar sound such as Graeme/Grahame(not said like ‘gram’) and Grady. Grey/Greyson are both very pleasant and it has warm sound to me, ironically.What does put me off Grey, is that I generally don’t view things associated with greyness as positive . I.e. grey hair (though in some religions it’s viewed as a sign of wisdom) or living the grey, as in being lukewarm etc Another association is that of one of the cold ( I HATE the cold) and grey skies. So, while I like the sound and think that it’d work wonderfully on many different types of people and ages , my associations are mainly negative which stops me from personally considering it. That said, I’d love to meet a Grey and do think it is a nice name
I was thinking the same thing – the negative associations of the colour great kill the name for me. It’s a little too depressing of a colour.
I do like Graham / Graeme though too, pronounced like “Grey-um”.
I have met a toddler Greyson. My husband nicknamed him Greyskull as in He-Man (not to the child’s face).
Ditto Graeme/Grahame pronunciation.
Another name that I ADORE the sound of, but the connotation ruins it for me is Harper. A harper can be someone who harps on problems. I’ve already had a Mona in the family tree who was a Moaner, so I’m too scared to try my luck ;(
In elementary school, I was friends with a boy named Gr@y R@ins! I don’t think Gray was his given name, but I can’t remember for the life of me what Gray was a nn for. I didn’t realize until I was older the imagery suggested by his name. Some people might see it as a negative, but he wore it really well!
I suppose Lurker Week is a good time for me to comment, seeing as how I haven’t commented in probably a half year or so (and my commenting was really sparse anyway)!
Gray is in my Top ten list of boy names. I love it!
I actually quite like Gray. Strong and handsome.
In the movie The Pelican Brief, Denzel Washington played a reporter named Gray Grantham. There’s also Gandalf the Grey in The Lord of the Rings. I like the idea of Gray as a given name, but it seems best as a “character name”. In my mind, that’s a name which is always said in full, à la Gray Grantham, Innigo Montoya, Sirius Black…
Gray alone feels somewhat incomplete.
Thank you for covering Gray! As a nn for Grady, it is at the top of my list for boys. On my mom’s side of the family, Grady has been used three times as a first name and once as a middle name. I didn’t know that Grady was Celtic, but that makes sense, as my mom’s family is partly Irish.
I grew up in Grayson County, so that also may explain why I’m comfortable with Gray.
My hairdresser in Virginia named her son Gracen. “It’s, um, Grace with an N on it, because I love the bame Grace.” Envision (Enhear? Haha) heavy southern accent. Can’t say I’m a fan. Surname names just sound pretentious to me, more so when the surname in question isn’t a family name. However, I like it as a middle to an ultra-feminine name: Clara Grey, Anastasia Grey, for instance.
That reminds me, Abby, can you do Anastasia as a BNotD? Or have you already? I’m too lazy to look it up.
*name, not bame. I’m typing one-handed while nursing the baby. Forgive me.
Well, I have a different POV on some of these names! My sister’s name is Grayson-born in 1984. My mom was definitely ahead of the surname and androgynous curves! Anyway, Grayson hated her name for a long time because it was a boy name, came to love it because it was distinctive, and now has a problem with it again because of the MILLIONS of little Graysons out there! She even has a “namesake” cousin named Gracen. Horrors!
As to Gray, the only little one I know is actually a 2 yr old girl. It’s a family name.
I
I’m not particularly keen on Grey et all as given names, but they are a welcome relief to the Jaydons that appear to be running amok in my neighbourhood, cute kids though they may be. I came across a Graydon at the playground the other day. It was the first time I’d encountered the name in real life. I have, however, already met a few little girl Gracyns (spelt a variety of ways).
I really like Grey. And like some others, I find it especially nice as a girl’s name… maybe because I liked Grace and then it got so darn popular and Grey has the same sound, but a different kind of feel – more ‘warm and woolly’ like a warm, soft, comfy sweater.
I used “Grey” as the middle name for our first son. I worry that it will become the male equivalent of “Rose” but I adore it in the middle spot. I was worried that if I used it in the first spot, it would be too gloomy a moniker.
I like Gray as a name, more than Grey, but I don’t love it either. Color names… this reminds me. I know three siblings, two girls and a boy. Their first names are color names. Here they are:
Hazel Maria (as in Hazel brown)
Ruby Katherine (as in Ruby red)
Gray JAnthony
They decided if they were to have another daughter they’d name her Rose and if they’d have another boy they’d name him Indigo.
Kind of color-name obsessed, huh? Ruby and Gray I like as names, Hazel not that much. I love Rose though, but I think Indigo is just a bit too much.
I teach piano to a 9 year old boy named Gray. He is brilliant and all around a cool kid. I also worked for a woman named Gray when I did a business internship in high school. She was a strong smart career woman. For her, I loved the contrast. She had fire-red hair and the confidence to go with it. She was anything but Gray.
This being lurker week, as a lurker, I’ll chime in. I’m with Joy. Our second child was going to be Grady nn Gray if she had been a boy. Is it too cutesy to have our first child be an Asher with an occasional nn Ash and another boy with the nn Gray? We kind of liked it because we both love the color ash gray. Unlike some of the other posters, although I do understand that it seems like a gloomy color, I think deep grays are extremely handsome and evocative, so the name Gray evokes a tall, dark, and handsome man in my mind. I was more reluctant with Grady, however, than my husband, to whom I gave final say, due to the sound similarities with all the Jaydons, et. al as mentioned in the post.
I’m planning on changing my middle name to Gray in the next year… it’s in remembrance of a good friend of mine named Gray who passed last year… and when i have a son his first name will be Gray as well.
My babies name is Graham, his nickname is Gray. We LOVE it! We end up calling him Gray more often then Graham.
How cool, Steph!
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I know this is an old post but I had to chime in. My oldest son is 16 and his name is Gray and we love it. We haven’t heard any others around us with his name and everyone comments that they love it when they meet him. My youngest son’s name is Brockington and we call him Brock. My daughter has her great grandmother’s first names and her names are old names but a little more common. I had a lady rave on and on how she loved my son’s names. She then asked what my daughters name was. When I told her Molly she said how did you end up with Molly when you have a Gray and Brock. It kind of took me by surprise because I love my grandmother and had always wanted a daughter named Molly.
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My middle name is Grey and it is my given name, meaning it is the one I have been called by since I was born. I also happen to be female. More than once I have had someone ask how I could be given such an ugly name. I like it because it is unique. My mother swears it is a Celtic variation of Douglas and also means dark haired stranger. I can’t find anything to back that up. My first name is Elizabeth. My daughter is Jillian Grey which I love the sound of and it fits her perfectly.
Ugly??? Never!!! It’s my son’s name and I love it.
We just named our second daughter (born June 1) Gray Katherine. I decided before I was pregnant that it would be ‘Gray’ if I had another daughter. I would not have used it for a boy. I’m not sure why. I like the description above that is is warm and wooly like a sweater. I chose it because I felt it makes me think of stillness and depth. My husband and I have definitely felt a lot of disapproval about the name, but I love it. Her older sister’s name is Lorelei, and I liked the contrast of the one being so ornate and the other being so minimalist.
My son (Grey) would have been named the same if a girl. Always wanted to know what it would have felt like on a girl.
(And followed up with Katherine, how beautiful!)
I totally feel the same way about the name as you.
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I had a baby boy in August and named him Gray. I’ve taken some flack for it (especially from family members), but I think it suits him just fine. To me it is classy, strong, masculine, and awesome.
My son is six months older, named Grey. Funny, no one gave me any flack (didn’t tell them until he was born though) and most people love it. I agree with your description completely!
I’m due in April and I’m calling our baby boy ‘Grey’…I have loved the name for years….however I have a little niggle in the back of mind that he might get teased at school and called ‘Gay’…however I’m hoping by the time he goes to school that word won’t be a negative. Can I ask if anyone else has thought about this??? I’m 99.9% sure were going to call him Grey regardless.
My son is Grey! (Born Feb 2010) We sort of made it up (knowing it was likely an existing name), but loved it. We didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl, but we chose the name Grey regardless. I think if kids call him “Gay” as a tease it’s a good learning opportunity to teach them that there’s nothing wrong with that!
Since “R”s are tough to pronounce my son already refers to himself as “Gey” and so do most other toddlers, lol.
I’m still in love with the name!
Good luck with your baby!!!
My name is Gray and I am very happy with it – people consider it to be unusual and always ask me about it… Better than John I suppose!