The name Grayson has English origins as a surname. Surnames ending in "son" are some of the earliest last names. For example, a gray-haired man's male children were
"gray's sons," and Grayson became the family's identifier.
"Son of a gray-haired man" later became associated with the meaning "son of a steward" because stewards were often the elder advisors at wealthy estates.
Modern parents can use these origins in playful homage to their own family legacy. The child of an accountant is technically faithful to the name
's meaning, and as for parents with gray hair – well, it's just right there.
Until the mid-80s, Grayson was a very unusual first name in the United States. It started trending up in the
'90s, and the name went from barely existing on the Social Security Administration's list to reaching number 35 for boys in 2020.
On BabyCenter, Grayson has been in the top 20 names for boys since 2019. (BabyCenter
's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby's name with us.)
Alternate spellings of Grayson include Graysen or Greyson (these are less common). Grayson is still used primarily as a name for boys, but it has shown up on BabyCenter
's list of baby girl names around spot 2,000. There are alternate spellings of Grayson that are more feminine, such as Gracyn and Grasyn. The nickname Gray is adorable, and can be used for boys or girls.
What led to Grayson's recent surge in popularity? While renowned British artist Grayson Perry was given the name in 1960, and other minor celebrities have the name as well, Grayson
's trip to the top 50 seems to have been fueled mostly by baby-naming trends. This makes sense, because Grayson ticks nearly all the boxes on the modern parent's baby name wish list.
First, there
's the last names as first names phenomenon. Many parents like to pay tribute to the discarded last names in their heritage by giving them to their children as a first name. Another reason surnames have become popular as given names is because parents today tend to lean toward uncommon names. They like names that won't require their kids to use the first initial of their last name to distinguish themselves in the classroom, but also aren
't so unique they seem made up. Surnames suit these parameters well by being both familiar and fresh.
Then there's the gender-neutral trend. Modern parents are increasingly choosing names that aren
't overtly masculine or feminine, and Grayson works well as a gender-neutral choice.
The nickname Gray is a color name, and these are having a moment. Scarlett and Blue have risen in popularity due to famous namesakes like Scarlett Johansson, and famous parents like Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles. Grayson also sounds like the name of popular show Grey's Anatomy.
No matter what your hair color, Grayson remains a fantastic baby name choice. And the way trends are heading, this name is likely to increase in popularity for boys and girls for many years to come.
