Graham

Graham meaning

Graham is an international boy's name of English origin (place name, via Anglo-French).

From Grantham, a town in Lincolnshire

Also used to mean: gravelly homestead, grey home

Graham began as a family name taken from a place. The Online Etymology Dictionary records it from the early twelfth century as an Anglo-French form of Grantham, a town in Lincolnshire, England. The family later rose to prominence in Scotland, and Graham became one of the great Scottish clan names before turning into a first name. Name lists explain it as "gravelly homestead" or "grey home", which are attempts to read the place name Grantham; we have not verified them. Well-known bearers include Alexander Graham Bell, who carried it as a middle name. Graeme is the Scottish spelling.

Source: Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), s.v. Graham · entry Graham · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Online Etymology Dictionary, Graham

Famous namesakes

• Alexander Graham Bell, inventor

Popularity abroad

• #120 United States, boys 2025 (up 9 from 129 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Graham · Graeme · Grahame

Related names

More names of English origin

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