Surname Granham - Meaning and Origin
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Granham: What does the surname Granham mean?
The last name Granham derives from the place-name “Granham” in England. It is derived from the two old English words ‘Gran’ and ‘ham’, which translate to ‘Gravel’ and ‘Village’ respectively. This indicates that Granham itself is most likely derived from a village made up of a gravel settlement. This most likely dates back to ancient times when the first settlers came looking to carve out their own corner in a new land.
The name has evolved over the centuries and eventually the ‘ham’ was dropped and the family adopted the Granham surname. This surname was then spread throughout England by the various migratory populations and later to other countries as well.
Today, Granham is most commonly associated with England, but it can also be found in Scotland, Ireland, and other countries. It is a relatively uncommon name, but it seems to have spread far and wide over the centuries. It is thought to have originated in the south west of England in the county of Somerset in the 10th century.
Many variations of the last name exist including Grandham, Granhamme, Grimham, Grinham, and Grinnam. The Granham coat of arms is described as a black shield with two silver axes, crested with a silver fox and a circular silver crown. The motto of the Granham family is “Spero Fideliter” which translates from Latin to “I hope faithfully”.
Order DNA origin analysisGranham: Where does the name Granham come from?
Granham is a relatively rare surname, not especially common in modern records. It is quickly recognizable in the British Isles. In 19th-century Great Britain records, it is most commonly found in the midlands and southern counties of England, such as Cheshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Staffordshire.
In the 1881 UK Census there were 714 people recorded with the Granham surname, of which the vast majority lived in England. The highest concentrations of Granhams in England were to be found in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. There was a small concentration of Granhams in Warwickshire, while Yorkshire and Westmorland also had a small but significant number of Granhams.
By the late 20th century, the name had spread across the whole of the United Kingdom, with a large concentration in Greater London, and other notable hot spots in the Midlands, particularly Leicestershire and Warwickshire, as well as in Oxfordshire, Surrey, and other counties.
Currently, the Granham surname is still not overly common in the British Isles, but can still be found in the same counties as before, as well as in Northern Ireland. There are also people today with the Granham surname living in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere.
Variations of the surname Granham
The surname Granham is of English origin and its variants include Grahame, Granam, Graname and Granom.
Graham is an anglicised version of the Scottish name Granham which is originally from the Anglo-Scottish border area. It is thought to have derived from Grantham, the name of a town in Lincolnshire. The name may have originally come from a plural form of the Old English word 'granth', which means graves or mounds. Alternatively, it has been suggested that it could derive from the Old English personal name 'Gran', meaning 'great'.
Grahame is the most common variant of the name, and was given its own separate entry in directories of British surnames. It is mainly found in Scotland, where it is the eleventh most popular surname. Granam, Graname and Granom are found elsewhere in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
In addition to the variants, there are several surnames of the same origin which have been anglicised over the centuries. Some of these spellings include Granam, Granhams, Grernham, Grinham, Grinhan, Graninham and Grenham.
Overall, the surname Granham has many variants and alternate spellings, as well as other surnames of the same origin, which vary in terms of region and spelling.
Famous people with the name Granham
- Eddie Granham : He was a professional retired American football player, and former Midshipmen Athletic Director at the United States Naval Academy.
- Antonio Granham : Is a professional basketball player for the NBA G League’s Stockton Kings.
- Brian Granham : He is a professional British racing driver, having competed in various forms of motor racing for over 18 years.
- Paul Granham : He is a former detective with the Lanarkshire Police Force in Scotland.
- Stephen Granham : He is a former English professional footballer who played for clubs including Coventry City and Sheffield Wednesday. 6.Darryl Granham : He is a former English professional footballer who played as a defender. 7.Lynn Granham : She was an American showgirl and the fourth wife of the actor Robert Mitchum.
- David Granham : He is a former Australian politician. He was the National Party member of the Western Legislative Assembly for South West from 1983-1989.