Given name & surname
Gray
“a gray-haired man”
Gray is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a gray-haired man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a gray-haired man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1885. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Gray through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,842
- 5,166 boys · 676 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 211 babies
- 2025
- 150
- #1,418 for boys · #5,614 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +1%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 81% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 128 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,418 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 4.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 22 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (13). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,037 as a first name in 2020; 241,208 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Gray’s family of names
In English usage, Gray has a related form in Grey. Gray has a related form in Graylin. Gray has a related form in Graylon.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Greyvariant · English
- Graylenvariant
- Graylynvariant
- Graevariant
- Graylanvariant
- Graylonvariant
- Graylinvariant
- Graivariant
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People named Gray
- Gray DavisGovernor of California from 1999 to 2003born 1942
- Gray MaynardAmerican mixed martial artist (born 1979)
- Gray FredericksonAmerican film producer1937–2022
- Gray BarkerAmerican writer (1925-1984)
- Gray Morrowillustrator (1934–2001)
- Gray HaddockAmerican actor and film producerborn 1972
Characters named Gray: Gray Fullbuster (Fairy Tail).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gray, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Grayson
“the son of a gray-haired man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Royal
“of the king; a regal man”
69% boys · 31% girls
Graham
“from the gravelled area; from the gray home”
>99% boys
Nash
“from the cliffs”
99% boys · 1% girls
Eidan
Eidan is a masculine given name from English. It is used in Spanish and Catalan.
>99% boys
Prince
“the royal son”
>99% boys
Ace
“one who excels; number one; the best”
99% boys · 1% girls
Gael
“woman from Ireland” · “one who is or speaks Gaelic”
>99% boys