Boy name · Old French
Grant
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: great, largeGrant is a boy's name that comes from Old French and means "great, large". It is used in English and Scottish.
- Meaning
- Great, large
- Origin
- Old French
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #228 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Grant
As a boy's name, Grant comes from Old French and means "great, large". It is used in English and Scottish.
Grant is also a surname: the 196th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 139,862 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Grant on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Grant on 5 lists.
“Great, large; Norman French. Strong and clean”
From Boy middle names, one-syllable boy middle names
“Great, large; Old French. Shared with President Ulysses S.”
From Classic boy names, short one-syllable classic boy names
“Great, large; Old French. Shared with President Ulysses S.”
From Old man names, short and sturdy old guy names
“From Norman French grand, great or tall; a Highland clan.”
From Scottish boy names, scottish clan and surname names for boys
“From Norman French grand, great or tall; a Strathspey clan”
From Scottish last names, highland clans without Mac
How popular is Grant?
- US rank in 2025
- #228
- 1,555 babies, 910 per million boys
- Best rank
- #115 in 1997
- 3,315 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 136,462
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 419 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 538 per million |
| 1900s | 471 per million |
| 1910s | 407 per million |
| 1920s | 329 per million |
| 1930s | 260 per million |
| 1940s | 266 per million |
| 1950s | 284 per million |
| 1960s | 353 per million |
| 1970s | 436 per million |
| 1980s | 787 per million |
| 1990s | 1,307 per million |
| 2000s | 1,424 per million |
| 2010s | 1,264 per million |
| 2020s | 944 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #171 | #173 | #184 | #198 | #213 | #214 | #220 | #228 | #241 | #228 |
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 Grant
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- GangFirm, strong (Chinese, boy)
- GeraintOld man (Greek, boy)
- GöranFarmer, earth worker (Greek, boy)
- GrianSun (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- GuangLight, bright (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- MagnusThe great (Latin, boy)
- AugustaGreat, venerable (Latin, girl)
- IrmaWhole, great (Germanic, girl)
- AugustGreat, venerable (Latin, unisex)
- AugustinVenerable, great (Latin, boy)
- GusGreat, venerable (Latin, boy)
- ImeldaGreat battle (Germanic, girl)
- KabirGreat (Arabic, boy)
- MoragGreat one (Scottish Gaelic, girl)
- RhiannonGreat queen (Welsh, girl)
Middle names for Grant
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old French
- BellamyBeautiful friend (Old French, unisex)
- LyleIsland (Old French, boy)
- WallaceForeigner, Welshman (Old French, boy)
- AlgernonHaving a mustache (Old French, boy)
- ArcherBowman (Old French, boy)
- BaileySteward, bailiff (Old French, unisex)
- CorbinRaven (Old French, boy)
- CurtisCourteous (Old French, boy)
- DarrellFrom Airelle, a place in Normandy (Old French, boy)
- FletcherArrow maker (Old French, boy)
Grant: common questions
What does the name Grant mean?
Grant comes from Old French and means "great, large".
Is Grant a boy or girl name?
Grant is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Grant come from?
Grant comes from Old French and means "great, large". Today it is used in English and Scottish.
How popular is the name Grant?
Grant ranked #228 in the US in 2025, with 1,555 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Grant?
Names spelled like Grant include Gang, Geraint, Göran, Grian and Guang.
What middle names go with Grant?
Middle names that flow well with Grant include Bennett, Cyprian, Edward, Leland and Leopold. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.