Surname Graybiel - Meaning and Origin

Graybiel: What does the surname Graybiel mean?

The last name Graybiel is of English origin, originating from England. It is believed to be a topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or moor, derived from the Old English words greigi, meaning “gravel” or “grizzly”, and hyll, meaning “mound” or “hill”.

The English surname may have also originated as a metonymic occupational name for a gravel digger, miner, or quarryman. It could also be derived from the Old English personal name Gray or Grey, combined with the word bile, meaning “a paralytic or disabled person”.

The earliest record of the name is found in early documents from the English county of Yorkshire, from as early as 1296. The majority of the name's records are found in the Northern regions of England, particularly Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire.

In the modern day, the last name Graybiel stands as a reminder of a bygone era, when areas were carved out and names were given to those upon them. It is a common last name, and is found throughout the world, although very prominent in the United States.

It is a unique surname that has been passed down through generations, tying its owners to a distant past.

Graybiel: Where does the name Graybiel come from?

Graybiel is a German-origin surname that is especially common in North America today. The highest concentration of the name is in the United States, where it is especially common in certain areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Louisiana. Other high concentrations can be found in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.

In Europe, the spelling is often Gräbiel or Graebiel, with the highest concentration within Germany. Some areas of Germany with especially high frequencies of the surname include Hesse, Lower Saxony, and Thuringia. The surname is also present in Belgium, with concentration in the provinces of Liège and Luxembourg. There are lower concentrations of the name in other European countries, such as Austria, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Outside of Europe and North America, the surname is less common. Some areas of Mexico, Central America, and South America have families with the Graybiel surname, likely originating from German immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Additionally, there are a few families with the surname in South Africa, likely due to German and Dutch settlers in the early 1800s.

In general, the surname Graybiel is most commonly found in North America today, with some presence in parts of Europe and a few other locations around the world.

Variations of the surname Graybiel

The surname Graybiel is derived from the German-Jewish surname Gräbiel. It is an occupational name which originated in German, meaning from the roots “graebe” meaning “ditch” and “hel” meaning “army”.

The variants of Graybiel include Graybeal, Graebel, Grebbel, Grebel, Grebiel, Grebil, Greble, Grebll, Grebul, Grieble, Griebel, Griebel, Griebil, Grief, Grifel, Grifels, Grigen, Grigil, Grigley, Grigol, Grigul, Grimels, Grivell, Grivill, Groble, Grubbel, Grube.

The spelling and other variants for the surname Graybiel include Grebel, Grayble, Grable, Grabel, Graebel, Graebell, Graebill, Graeble, Grable, Graebil, Grebele, Grabill, Gribbel, Grubel, Grepel, Grablle, Grablules, Graeble, Grebble, Grelle.

Graybiel can also be spelt with a “y” as Gräybiel, and may also appear as Greybeal, Graebal, Graebil, and Grebelle, although these less common forms are also variants of the same origin.

Surnames that have the same origin as Graybiel can include Grabel, Graebel, Graebel, Grubel, Greble, Grubel, Grubel, Grable, Grable, Grble, Grblee, Grivill, Grigl, Grivel, Grivill, Grebille, Greibbel, Grubble, Gruble, Grebel, Gregel, Gabill, Graebel, Graeblit, Grebel, Gribbel, Gribble, Grible, Gribbel.

Famous people with the name Graybiel

• Ashlee Graybiel: American softball player
• Nancy Graybiel: American Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Mark Graybiel: American Professor of Neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Brad Graybiel: Co-founder of Lightpath Technologies
• Doug Graybiel: Former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Dean Graybiel: American sailor and Olympics competitor
• Steve Graybiel: Former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Dave Graybiel: Former Major League Baseball second baseman
• Burt Graybiel: Rotarian and former Professor of Law and Political Science
• Tom Graybiel: Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley

Other surnames

Graybill