Grey
Grey was the 1014th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 222 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 717th with 362 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 97 places. More babies were named Grey in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning grey (color); also surname · English, Old English
Say it GRAY /ɡɹeɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,014 boys, down 236 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 222boys
- Girls and boys
- 16% girls, 84% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2021362 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,108babies recorded
What does the name Grey mean?
Grey is the English color word, from Old English grǣg, used as a given name. It is also an old English surname, first a nickname for someone with gray hair or gray clothing, and in some families from Graye in Normandy; it is borne by the Earls Grey and by Lady Jane Grey. As a first name Grey is a modern choice for boys and girls, sometimes short for Greyson or Greta. Grey is the usual British spelling and Gray the American one.
grǣg (Old English, “gray”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Gray, Greyson, Grayson.
See also: English names, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Grey', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'grey' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Grey popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,487 | #1,014 | 31 | 222 |
| 2020 | #2,509 | #778 | 69 | 302 |
| 2010 | #5,305 | #1,529 | 26 | 106 |
| 2000 | #15,901 | #2,310 | 5 | 42 |
| 1990 | #13,735 | #2,057 | 5 | 36 |
| 1980 | — | #3,319 | — | 13 |
| 1970 | — | #2,157 | — | 18 |
| 1960 | — | #3,470 | — | 7 |
| 1950 | — | #3,889 | — | 5 |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | #3,624 | — | 7 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Grey, counting every spelling?
Grey is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #727 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,014 for Grey on its own. Together these spellings went to 350 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grey | 222 | #1,014 | 1,469 |
| Gray | 128 | #1,418 | 776 |
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 Grey?
222 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Grey (0.06 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Grey 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 38 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Grey.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Grey?
About 5,800 people born in the US named Grey are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 18. That makes Grey a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Grey by state
How common Grey was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (3.9×), Arkansas (1.9×), Colorado (1.9×), Louisiana (1.6×), Tennessee (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Grey: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Grey, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Grey · Sibling names for Grey
Grey is also a nickname for Greyson.
Questions about the name Grey
What does Grey mean?
Grey means “grey (color); also surname” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Grey?
Grey was the 1014th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 222 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 717th with 362 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 97 places. More babies were named Grey in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Grey a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 16% girls, 84% boys given the name Grey in the US.
Where is Grey most popular?
In 2021–2025, Grey was most common in Utah (0.67 per 1,000 boys), followed by Arkansas and Colorado.