Grady
Grady was the 373rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 851 babies. Its best year was 1911, when it ranked 180th; the most babies were born in 2008 (1,196). Over the last ten years it has moved down 20 places. More babies were named Grady in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Irish
Say it GRAY-dee /ˈɡreɪdi/
- Rank in 2025
- #373 boys, up 26 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 851boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20081,196 babies
- Total since 1880
- 53,215babies recorded
What does the name Grady mean?
Grady is an Irish surname used as a first name. Wiktionary derives it from Ó Grádaigh (O'Grady) or Mag Bhrádaigh (McGrady), and Woulfe's 1923 index lists Grady and O'Grady among the English forms of the Gaelic names. The meaning of the personal name Grádach is not given by these sources; "noble" or "illustrious" are common glosses but are not confirmed here.
Ó Grádaigh (Irish, “descendant of Grádach”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The surname is clear; the personal name's meaning is not documented in the sources consulted.
Other explanations you may read: means 'noble' or 'illustrious'.
Related names: O'Grady, Brady.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Grady', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923), index of Irish surnames and their anglicized forms, M. H. Gill & Son (Internet Archive scan)
Grady popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 741 since 1891, 9 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #373 | 851 |
| 2020 | #399 | 768 |
| 2010 | #314 | 1,015 |
| 2000 | #746 | 229 |
| 1990 | #775 | 173 |
| 1980 | #735 | 143 |
| 1970 | #471 | 292 |
| 1960 | #423 | 357 |
| 1950 | #330 | 419 |
| 1940 | #245 | 489 |
| 1930 | #247 | 508 |
| 1920 | #215 | 602 |
| 1910 | #217 | 114 |
| 1900 | #224 | 79 |
| 1890 | #264 | 43 |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Grady, counting every spelling?
Grady is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #385 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #373 for Grady on its own. Together these spellings went to 851 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grady | 851 | #373 | 4,059 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Grady?
851 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Grady (0.24 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Grady born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Grady.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Grady?
About 32,300 people born in the US named Grady are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 10 and 54. That makes Grady mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Grady by state
How common Grady was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (3.1×), Mississippi (2.7×), Montana (2.6×), Alabama (2.6×), South Carolina (2.5×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, New Jersey, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Grady: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Grady, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Grady · Sibling names for Grady
Questions about the name Grady
What does Grady mean?
The origin of Grady is uncertain: the surname is clear; the personal name's meaning is not documented in the sources consulted.
How popular is the name Grady?
Grady was the 373rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 851 babies. Its best year was 1911, when it ranked 180th; the most babies were born in 2008 (1,196). Over the last ten years it has moved down 20 places. More babies were named Grady in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Grady a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Grady in the US.
Where is Grady most popular?
In 2021–2025, Grady was most common in West Virginia (1.47 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Montana.