Graves Surname

4,414th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 127,591 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
United States

Graves Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the greave' or 'greaves.' For variants and many instances, v. Grave and Graver. Equivalent to Grove, which see. Originally a glade or lane cut through the trees in the forest; from English verb grave, to cut; Anglo-Saxon graf, a grove.

Read More About This Surname

Graves Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States109,4631:3,311342
England8,3301:6,689966
Canada3,6971:9,9661,492
Australia1,7821:15,1492,155
Ghana7621:35,4604,134
France5161:128,72619,637
New Zealand4561:9,9311,727
Wales2761:11,2121,247
Saudi Arabia2391:129,10417,726
Guatemala2111:76,2212,657
South Africa1991:272,25027,005
Scotland1851:28,9403,034
Denmark1201:47,0394,907
Thailand1101:642,167108,371
Brazil1051:2,038,80364,511
Ireland1021:46,1663,435
Argentina941:454,71734,122
Germany791:1,019,05669,716
Spain681:687,53030,300
Netherlands651:259,80332,877
Suriname641:8,6352,172
Philippines611:1,659,643109,715
Dominican Republic541:193,2027,170
Chile461:382,96710,457
Panama431:90,9833,586
Mexico321:3,878,94425,867
Switzerland301:273,76422,252
Russia271:5,337,891231,865
Singapore261:211,83510,313
Ecuador201:795,29213,165
Northern Ireland181:102,5026,334
Iraq161:2,188,85319,343
Saint Lucia161:11,1741,095
United Arab Emirates151:610,81823,687
Zimbabwe141:1,102,73166,551
Costa Rica131:367,6983,592
Jamaica131:220,7656,223
Japan131:9,834,17645,186
Finland121:458,05828,977
Norway111:467,48139,375
India101:76,706,538639,611
Egypt91:10,215,08448,153
Peru91:3,531,56931,288
Belgium81:1,437,08092,692
Italy81:7,644,586115,463
Czechia71:1,519,06797,842
Isle of Man71:12,2602,387
Jersey71:14,1722,872
Liberia71:629,79127,063
South Korea71:7,320,0371,243
China61:227,886,92811,701
Honduras61:1,469,4075,474
Nigeria61:29,523,793355,097
Venezuela61:5,034,01343,431
Belarus41:2,375,265105,497
Georgia41:936,38624,100
Guernsey41:16,1101,225
Kuwait41:950,17418,811
Malaysia41:7,373,556230,001
Morocco41:8,619,02573,251
Sweden41:2,461,689157,534
Trinidad and Tobago41:340,99412,383
United States Virgin Islands41:27,5943,273
Afghanistan31:10,717,72835,605
Austria31:2,838,47893,604
Indonesia31:44,083,065698,220
Israel31:2,852,545113,505
Turkey31:25,940,474162,557
Albania21:1,457,02824,967
Cyprus21:442,4389,493
Hong Kong21:3,667,74211,574
Lithuania21:1,517,29435,813
Luxembourg21:290,2718,611
Poland21:19,004,374199,659
Romania21:10,038,93580,612
Algeria11:38,631,551130,422
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Belize11:355,4743,977
Bermuda11:65,2793,010
Bolivia11:10,616,43417,077
Botswana11:2,186,92930,250
Colombia11:47,774,07244,230
Cuba11:11,522,71617,380
El Salvador11:6,343,8888,415
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
Monaco11:37,0664,748
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Qatar11:2,357,99976,403
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines11:112,6591,704
San Marino11:33,214932
Tanzania11:52,941,613123,716
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1691:26,2122,795
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England4,4861:5,434829
Wales451:34,8541,900
Scotland291:129,0765,773
Isle of Man141:3,876418
Jersey61:8,6471,503
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States24,4961:2,050213

Graves (411) may also be a first name.

Graves Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the greave' or 'greaves.' For variants and many instances, v. Grave and Graver. Equivalent to Grove, which see. Originally a glade or lane cut through the trees in the forest; from English verb grave, to cut; Anglo-Saxon graf, a grove. 'For so raythely thay rusche with roselde speris, That the raskaille was rade, and rane to the grefes.'

Morte Arthure, MS. Lincoln, F. 83 (Halliwell). Fairfax speaks of the 'Wind in holts and shady greaves.'

Agnes de Greues (u for v), 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

1610. Bant.—May, d. John Greaues, pwterer: St. Dionis Backchurch (London).

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of the grave' (v. Greaves); the earlier form of Greave or Grove, (a) Offic.' the graff'; v. Graveston.

Edith de la Grava, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Henry de la Grave, Oxfordshire, ibid.

Hugh de la Grave, Somerset, ibid.

John de la Grave, Wiltshire, ibid.

Geoffrey de la Grave, Gloucestershire, Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I.

Sibilla de la Grave, Gloucestershire, 20 Edward I: Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III.

Robert atte Grave, c. 1300. Writs of Parliament.

Johannes Grave, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Adam Grayf, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johanna Grayf, 1379: ibid.

Robertus Grayff, 1379: ibid.

1600. Edmund Grave and Dorothy Smith: Marriage Lic. (Westminster).

1607. Married — John Johnson and Rose Graves: St. James, Clerkenwell.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Pl., or genit., of Grave, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

An Anglo-Irish family closely associated with Trinity College, Dublin. IF 293

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(English) Descendant of the grave, a minor official appointed by the lord of the manor to supervise his tenants’ work; dweller in, or near, a grove.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Found in Peel

Manx Names (1890) by Arthur William Moore

Walter de Grava (De la Grave) occurs in Normandy 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae), and in Bucks t. John (Hunter, Fines, i. 194). Osbert de Grava or De la Grave, in Gloucester 1203 (Rot. Canc. Hardy, Obl. et fin. 462). Richard de la Grave 1267 (Hunter, Rot. Select. 137). Thomas de la G. occurs 1295; and 1316 Sibilla de la G. of Gloucester (Parliamentary Writs). Hence the Graveses of Mickleton, Gloucester, ancestors of the gallant admiral Lord Graves, and the Baronets Graves-Saule.

The Norman People (1874)

From the Swedish, Grave; from the German, Gräve, Greeve; from the Flemish, Gravis; in the Domesday Book, Greve; a personal name.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Greaves, which is a characteristic name of the midland counties, has long been a Worcestershire name. The old family of Greves held some position in the county. Daniel Greves, probably a member of this family, bought certain lands in King's Norton of Richard Amphlett in 1669 (N.).

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Graves Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Graves Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Graves (Russian: Гравес) is most common in The United States. It can also be rendered as:. Click here for further potential spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name Graves? popularity and diffusion

Graves is the 4,414th most commonly occurring last name on a global scale, held by approximately 1 in 57,116 people. This last name occurs mostly in The Americas, where 89 percent of Graves live; 89 percent live in North America and 89 percent live in Anglo-North America. It is also the 424,977th most prevalent forename globally It is held by 411 people.

This last name is most numerous in The United States, where it is carried by 109,463 people, or 1 in 3,311. In The United States it is primarily found in: Texas, where 10 percent are found, California, where 8 percent are found and Tennessee, where 5 percent are found. Beside The United States it exists in 94 countries. It is also found in England, where 7 percent are found and Canada, where 3 percent are found.

Graves Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Graves has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Graves surname rose 447 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 186 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 613 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 638 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it decreased 40 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Graves Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the Graves surname is primarily Anglican (63%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the Graves surname are 11.18% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 57.95% registered with the political party.

The amount Graves earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 157% more than the national average, earning 889,431 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 24.07% more than the national average, earning R 294,828 per year; in United States they earn 3.69% less than the national average, earning $41,556 USD per year and in Canada they earn 1.96% more than the national average, earning $50,657 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Greaves9236,229/
Graveus9288/
Graeves9232/
Gravets9221/
Gravees9210/
Gravest928/
Grayves926/
Graaves925/
Graives923/
Gravesz922/
Hgraves921/
Grasves921/
Gravexs921/
Gravies921/
Ghraves920/
Gravess920/
Grave9118,607/
Graviejs86243/
Graviesz8612/
D'Graves862/
Graveats860/
Gravetts860/
Groves8360,993/
Graver835,176/
Gravet83934/
Gravez83864/
Gravis83771/
Greves83675/
Gravey83448/
Grabes8380/
Greave8377/
Graave8356/
Graive8334/
Gravee8326/
Gravie8323/
Gravea834/
Graveh834/
Grayve834/
Gravec832/
Ghrave831/
Grawes831/
Graëve831/
Grêves831/
Gravys830/
Graved830/
Grauve830/
Gravett773,074/
Greeves771,867/
Gravois77950/
Greaver77841/
Greives77196/
Graviss77195/
Grabeus77103/
Graiver7794/
Gravish7789/
Grabets7768/
Grayver7757/
Grampes7737/
Grooves7731/
Greavey7722/
Gravios7718/
Gravecz7711/
Grabies778/
Greavis776/
Gravetz776/
Greabes775/
Gratved773/
Greavea772/
Gravais772/
Grevies771/
Grauver771/
Gravetp771/
Gravise771/
Greawes771/
Grovies771/
Grabezs771/
D'Grave771/
Grouves770/
Graveer770/
Grovese770/
Gravice770/
Grove7345,138/
Grabe734,430/
Grawe732,760/
Gravi73576/
Gravy73185/
Gravé7348/
Grāve736/
Graví733/
Gravè731/
Graviche7174/
Grabeusz7161/
Greavett7136/
Gravisse7136/
Gravaise713/
Graavett711/
Grover6766,464/
Greive671,090/
Grabež67717/
Grabis67432/
Grawey67320/
Graube67198/
Grevis67183/
Grobes67169/
Gravit67161/
Grewis67131/
Grabei67123/
Grabys67113/
Grabey67101/
Gravio6777/
Grawez6772/
Groove6765/
Grovey6763/
Grovet6763/
Grouve6758/
Grasui6756/
Grawie6756/
Graviz6749/
Graibe6748/
Greavy6734/
Grabez6727/
Grevez6712/
Greabe6711/
Graawe6710/
Graviy677/
Gravic676/
Grovis676/
Gravid676/
Grauwe675/
Graybe673/
Grovie672/
Grewes672/
Grabee671/
Grovea671/
Groved671/
Grovep671/
Gravai671/
Gravii671/
Gravoi671/
Greavi671/
Grawei671/
Grajbe671/
Gravay671/
Greuve671/
Grabej671/
Grāvis671/
Ghravi671/
Grovez671/
Grovée671/
Grawee671/
Growes670/
Grasue670/
Graabe670/

Graves Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Graves in the Russian language
Гравесgraves-

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Graves Reference & Research

Graves FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Graves
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis