Gregory
A surname from the medieval personal name Gregory, meaning “watchful” or “vigilant,” later spreading into several related forms.
The #339 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 3,379 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Gregory comes from the common medieval given name Gregory, ultimately from Greek Gregorios, from gregorein, meaning “to be watchful” or “to stay awake.” The name entered Western Europe through Latin and was widely used in Christian Europe because of saints and popes named Gregory. As a surname, it typically began as a patronymic, identifying someone as “the son of Gregory.”
History
The surname is well established in England and Scotland, and 19th-century writers noted that the personal name Gregory was especially popular in parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Related surname forms include Gregson, Gregg, Griggs, Gregorson, Greig, Grier, and Grierson, with several of these especially common in Scotland. One old Warwickshire family was said to descend from John Gregory, a lord of manors in Leicestershire.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root that gave Gregory its meaning also lies behind the word “gregarious,” originally suggesting alertness and social watchfulness rather than just being sociable.
From the historical record
“GREG ORSON. See Gregory. GREGORY. The well-known personal name has not onlj' become a surname, but has given rise to various others, especially Gregorson, Gregg, Gregson, Griggs, Grigson, Greig, Grix, and possibly Grocock. These forms are mostly Scotch, and Grier aud Grierson, not to mention Mac-Gregor, are…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom