An English surname, the Graves name comes from the Old French term of ‘grave’ which means gravel or section of gravelly soil. It is the plural form of the name Grave. It can also refer to a manger or overseer of property.

Spelling variations for Graves are Greavson, Grieve, Greves, Greave, Griveson, Greaves and Grieves.

The Graves families first originated in the Derbyshire region of England. In Yorkshire, Kent, Essex, Lancashire and Cumberland are primarily where the majority of Graves families reside. The Scottish counties of Dumfries-shire, Midlothian and Lanarkshire have the greater populations of Graves individuals.

Within the United States the Graves families are mostly in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Missouri and Virginia.


Famous: Danny Graves (professional baseball player), Adam Graves (ice hockey player for Canada), Peter Graves (actor), Robert James Graves (medical doctor for whom Graves Disease was named), Teresa Graves (actress), Morris Graves (artist), Michael Graves (architect) and Frank Graves (writer and film maker in South Africa).