Gray
A name derived from the color gray, representing neutrality or sophistication.
Name Census estimates that about 4,842 living Americans carry the first name Gray. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Gray today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gray births was 2021 (211 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gray. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gray with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.8K
~ 1 in 70,788 Americans
Peak year
2021
211 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,343
Tracked since 1885
Census
Gray in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,041 people with the first name Gray, which placed it at #3,888 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,888
National first-name rank
People counted
5.0K
5,041 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gray
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gray is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (6.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gray described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gray at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 4,015
- Black or African American7.4% · 374
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 305
- Two or more races4.5% · 226
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 31
Gender
Gender distribution for Gray
Gray leans heavily male at 88.5% of total registrations, but 654 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Gray as a male name
- Ranked #1,343 in 2024
- 142 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (175 births)
Gray as a female name
- Ranked #5,185 in 2024
- 25 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (47 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gray leans strongly male. 4,157 people counted with this name were male (82.5%), compared with 880 female bearers (17.5%).
Popularity
Gray: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gray from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,630 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Gray remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gray by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gray during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Grays live
The SSA's state-level files cover 28 states and territories. Texas, North Carolina, California recorded the most babies named Gray, while Nevada, Mississippi, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 64 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gray
The name Gray has its origins in the Old English word "grǽg," which means "gray" or "grey." This word was derived from the Proto-Germanic "*grisja-," which also meant "gray." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname or surname referring to someone with gray hair or a grayish complexion.
Gray is an English name that has been in use since the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a man named William Gray was mentioned in the Cartulary of Bury St. Edmunds in 1237. This cartulary was a collection of charters and other documents related to the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Gray. One of the most prominent figures was Thomas Gray, an English poet, letter-writer, and scholar who lived from 1716 to 1771. He is best known for his famous Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, which is considered one of the finest English poems of the 18th century.
Another distinguished individual with the name Gray was Elisha Gray, an American electrical engineer and inventor who lived from 1835 to 1901. He is credited with developing a precursor to the modern telephone, and his work laid the foundation for many subsequent innovations in telecommunications.
In the world of literature, John Gray was an English poet and playwright who lived from 1798 to 1834. He is best remembered for his satirical works, including the play The Rebellion and the poem The Reinstatement of the Rev. Mr. Blacow.
In the field of art, Gwen Gray was an American painter and printmaker who lived from 1903 to 1985. She was known for her vibrant and colorful depictions of urban life, particularly in New York City, where she spent most of her career.
Another notable figure bearing the name Gray was William Gray, a Scottish merchant and politician who lived from 1751 to 1817. He played a significant role in the expansion of British trade and influence in India and was a member of the British Parliament.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Gray. While its origins can be traced back to Old English, the name has transcended time and cultures, becoming a part of the tapestry of human history.
People
Gray + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gray as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gray: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gray?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,842 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gray going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 70,788 US residents.
Is Gray a common name?
We classify Gray as "Rare". It ranks above 96.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,692 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gray most popular?
The single biggest year for Gray was 2021, when 211 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gray is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gray in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,041 people with the name Gray, or 1.67 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,888 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gray in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gray?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gray leans strongly male. 4,157 people counted with this name were male (82.5%), compared with 880 female bearers (17.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gray?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gray is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Hispanic (6.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gray most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (4,015 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gray in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gray a male name?
Yes, 88.5% of people registered as Gray in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gray still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gray in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gray can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Gray?
You can see how many Americans are named Gray on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.