Boy name · Old English
Graham
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homesteadGraham is a boy's name that is of Old English origin: from a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead. It is used in English and Scottish.
- Meaning
- From a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #120 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Graham
As a boy's name, Graham is of Old English origin: from a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead. It is used in English and Scottish.
Graham is also a surname: the 123rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 194,159 people. See the most common last names.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Graham on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Graham on 1 list.
“From Grantham in Lincolnshire, gravelly homestead”
From Scottish last names, lowland and Border family names
How popular is Graham?
- US rank in 2025
- #120
- 2,967 babies, 1,737 per million boys
- Best rank
- #120 in 2025
- 2,967 babies that year
- Babies since 1881
- At least 61,436
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 56 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 69 per million |
| 1900s | 93 per million |
| 1910s | 105 per million |
| 1920s | 96 per million |
| 1930s | 98 per million |
| 1940s | 65 per million |
| 1950s | 48 per million |
| 1960s | 57 per million |
| 1970s | 141 per million |
| 1980s | 269 per million |
| 1990s | 308 per million |
| 2000s | 382 per million |
| 2010s | 1,024 per million |
| 2020s | 1,465 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #179 | #185 | #182 | #180 | #186 | #161 | #155 | #141 | #129 | #120 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Graham
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- GaramRiver, an old Korean word (Korean, unisex)
Names with a similar meaning
- ElenaForm of Helen, probably from Greek torch (Greek, girl)
- LilianaLatinate form of Lillian, probably from Elizabeth or Lily (English, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- BruceProbably from Brix in Normandy (French, boy)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- KennedyFrom an Irish surname, from Cennétig, armoured or misshapen head (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- LeahProbably weary, grieved (Hebrew, girl)
- LukaForm of Lucas, probably from Lucania (Greek, boy)
- NolanFrom an Irish surname derived from nuall, famous, loud (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- PenelopeProbably from a Greek word for a type of duck (Greek, girl)
- AdairFrom a surname derived from Edgar (English, unisex)
- AlainaVariant of Alana, probably influenced by Elaine (Breton, girl)
- AloraVariant of Elora, probably invented; used in the film Willow (English, girl)
- ArabellaProbably a variant of Annabel; linked with Latin yielding to prayer (Latin, girl)
Middle names for Graham
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- KnoxRound hill (Old English, boy)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
- ReidRed-haired (Old English, boy)
- RutherfordCattle ford (Old English, boy)
- StewartSteward (Old English, boy)
- SundayDay of the sun (Old English, unisex)
- AelfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
- ÆlfricElf ruler (Old English, boy)
Graham: common questions
What does the name Graham mean?
Graham is of Old English origin: from a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead. Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Graham a boy or girl name?
Graham is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 13 girls and 2,967 boys in the US were named Graham, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Graham come from?
Graham is of Old English origin: from a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead. Today it is used in English and Scottish.
How popular is the name Graham?
Graham ranked #120 in the US in 2025, with 2,967 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Graham?
Names spelled like Graham include Garam.
What middle names go with Graham?
Middle names that flow well with Graham include Abel, Heath, Henry, Jude and Max. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.