Grace

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Girl · Latin

Grace

Say it: GRAYSS

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Latin gratia 'favour, grace'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Used in medieval England in its Latin form and taken up strongly by Puritans as a virtue name in the late 16th century.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1890s

In the United States

510,138 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1890, about 1 in 84 girls
5,575 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English Irish American Scottish

The family of the name

Other spellings: Gracia, Gratia

Latin	Gratia
Spanish	Graciela
Italian	Grazia
French	Grâce
Spanish	Gracia

Famous bearers

Grace Darling, English lighthouse heroine

Names worth a look

JoyceGirlFrom the Breton saint's name Iudoc (Judocus), probably from a Celtic word for 'lord'; in the Middle Ages it was used…Middle Ages · peak 1941

RoseGirlIn the Middle Ages often a form of the Germanic name Rohese (probably from hrod 'fame' or hros 'horse'), later…Middle Ages · peak 1908

JoanGirlFeminine of John, ultimately from Hebrew Yohanan 'Yahweh is gracious'.Middle Ages · peak 1932

ChristinaGirlLatin christiana, 'Christian, follower of Christ'.Early Medieval · peak 1978

MarthaGirlAramaic marta, 'lady, mistress'.Biblical · peak 1887

JanetGirlA pet form of Jane, from the French diminutive Jeannette.Middle Ages · peak 1942

CrystalGirlFrom the English word crystal, from Greek krystallos 'ice'. (In Scotland Chrystal was separately a medieval pet form…Victorian · peak 1982

KristenGirlA Scandinavian form of Christine or Christian, from Latin Christianus 'a Christian', ultimately from Greek Christos…Modern · peak 1982

Where this comes from

English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
Puritan church and town records of England and New England
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.