Grimsley
A surname that likely began as a place-name or variant form built on the old English personal name Grim.
The #5,901 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 52,795 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Grimsley is probably an English surname formed from an older place-name or a name built on the old personal name Grim, a common medieval byname meaning roughly “fierce” or “stern.” The ending -ley usually points to Old English leah, meaning “woodland clearing,” so the name may originally have meant “Grim’s clearing.” Because the documentary evidence here is limited, the exact source is not certain.
History
The surname is established in England and later appears in records in the London area by the 18th century, as shown by the marriage reference to Ann Grimsley in 1744. In modern times it is uncommon but has survived as a hereditary family name, especially in English-speaking countries. The spelling has remained fairly stable, though it may reflect older local forms or a surname derived from a now-lost place-name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The -ley ending in English surnames often points to a landscape feature, usually a clearing or meadow rather than a town.
From the historical record
“1744. Married — Samuel Minton and Ann Grimsley : St. Geo. Chap. Mayfair, p. 4a. 1796. — Francis Minton and Lucy Coleman : St. Geo. Han. Sq. iu 150.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)