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Grant Family History

Grant Surname Meaning

Irish English and especially Scottish (of Norman origin): nickname from Anglo-Norman French graund graunt ‘tall large’ (Old French grand grant from Latin grandis) given either to a person of remarkable size or else in a relative way to distinguish two bearers of the same personal name often representatives of different generations within the same family.

English: from the rare Middle English (and Old English) personal name Grante or Grente. Irish: in Ireland this is usually the Norman Scottish name (see 1 above) but it was also adopted for Irish Mag Raighne see Graney.

French: variant of Grand 1 ‘tall large’ (see also 1 above). American shortened and altered form of French Lagrandeur: soldier's name from la grandeur ‘(the) size/height; greatness’.

Probably also an altered form of German Grandt or Grand. African American: adoption of the surname in 1 above in honor of Ulysses S. Grant a general commanding the US Army in winning the American Civil War who later served as the 18th president of the US.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Grant family from?

You can see how Grant families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Grant family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Grant families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 283 Grant families living in New York. This was about 18% of all the recorded Grant's in USA. New York had the highest population of Grant families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Grant surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Grant ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Grant. 18% of Grant men worked as a Laborer and 9% of Grant women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Grant were Truck Driver and Teacher.

View Census Data for Grant | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    18%
  • Farmer
    12%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    9%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Cook
    6%
  • Teacher
    5%

What Grant family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Grant. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Grant census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Grant

Passenger Lists

There are 202,000 immigration records available for the last name Grant. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 191,000 military records available for the last name Grant. For the veterans among your Grant ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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