Grey

Grey - A very unique male name

Grey appeared on the charts for the first time in 1959 on position #1656. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Grey and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Grey? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Grey. The baby boy name Grey was given to 151 baby boys in 2025, ranking #1068 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 9,710 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Grey peaked in popularity 5 years ago in 2021 on position 719.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Grey, 1-5?

Grey is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Grey is currently topping the baby name charts in Utah at position #419 - and is the least popular in New York at position #1,343.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Grey is where you live.

---

Comment and discuss

---

Grey origin and meaning

English — surname and word name

From the surname Grey, originally a nickname from Old English græg, 'grey' — for grey hair or a grey beard; also simply the colour word

Grey began as a medieval nickname surname (the de Grey family gave it aristocratic weight) and moved into first-name use in the surname-name era, recorded from 1959. It peaked in 2021 with the fashion for colour and one-syllable names and has fallen back since.

Attested etymology

Grey is a 4 letter name with 1 syllables.

To see famous people named Grey, pop culture references for the name Grey and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Grey

We've found the following names that sound similar to Grey, sorted by popularity.

Gary / Garry / Gerry / Gray / Geary / Ger / Garey / Gery / Gor / Garo /

---

Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Grey

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Grey a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Grey?

1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

---

Pronunciation

GRAY · /ɡreɪ/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Gray — The American spelling of the colour and the commoner spelling of the name; a separate entry.

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

SurnameWord name

Why parents choose it

Grey is minimal and moody — a colour, a surname and a one-syllable statement at once. It suits parents who like the current muted, understated palette of names.

Worth knowing

• Gray is the standard American spelling of the colour, so Grey will be 'corrected' often.
• Christian Grey (Fifty Shades) is a surname bearer, not a given-name one, but the association still follows the word.