How common is the surname Grey?

12,680 people in the United States had the surname Grey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 24,349 Americans. It ranked 2,845th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Grey?

Sasha Grey, American actress, model, writer, DJ and musician; former pornographic actress (born 1988), followed by Skylar Grey.

Where is the surname Grey most common?

Wikidata records people named Grey in the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland and 2 other countries.

Is the surname Grey getting more or less common?

More common. 12,338 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 12,680 in 2010, up 2.8%.

Is Grey also a first name?

Yes. Grey is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Grey

A nickname surname, carried by 12,680 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex G600 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Grey is more common than 98.2% of them.

Origin

A surname transferred from the nickname, alternative spelling of Gray.

Grey is a nickname surname: from a description or nickname of an ancestor.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 12,680 people named Grey in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 24,349 Americans. That is up 2.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 12,338.

#2,845

rank among US surnames

12,680

people in 2010

4.3

per 100,000 Americans

+2.8%

change since 2000 (was #2,691)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,836	Angulo	12,714	24,284
#2,837	Amato	12,713	24,286
#2,838	Wendt	12,712	24,288
#2,839	Hammonds	12,710	24,292
#2,841	Steinberg	12,709	24,293
#2,842	Breaux	12,705	24,301
#2,843	East	12,684	24,341

Who is named Grey

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

65% of people named Grey identified as white (not Hispanic), 23% as Black (not Hispanic) and 4.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 65%
Black (not Hispanic) 23%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4.3%
Two or more races 2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 2.4%
Asian and Pacific Islander 2.1%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Greys

26 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Sasha Grey
American actress, model, writer, DJ and musician; former pornographic actress (born 1988)
Skylar Grey
American singer, born 1986
Joel Grey
American actor, singer, dancer, director, and photographer (born 1932)
Zane Grey
American novelist (1872–1939)
Jennifer Grey
American actress, born 1960
Lita Grey
American actress (1908–1995)
Virginia Grey
American actress (1917–2004)
Nan Grey
American actress (1918-1993)
CGP Grey
American educational YouTuber and podcaster, born 2000
Alex Grey
American painter and performance artist (born 1953)
Keisha Grey
American pornographic actress, born 1994
Gloria Grey
American actress and director (1909-1947)

Notable Greys come mostly from the United States (20), the United Kingdom (3) and Ireland (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Grey

Grey has the Soundex code G600, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code G600.

Questions

How common is the surname Grey?: 12,680 people in the United States had the surname Grey in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 24,349 Americans. It ranked 2,845th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Grey?: In the 2010 Census, 65% of people named Grey identified as white (not Hispanic), and 23% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Grey?: Sasha Grey, American actress, model, writer, DJ and musician; former pornographic actress (born 1988), followed by Skylar Grey.
Where is the surname Grey most common?: Wikidata records people named Grey in the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland and 2 other countries.
What type of surname is Grey?: Grey is a nickname surname, from a description or nickname of an ancestor.
Is the surname Grey getting more or less common?: More common. 12,338 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 12,680 in 2010, up 2.8%.
Is Grey also a first name?: Yes. Grey is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.