Surname Gries - Meaning and Origin

Exploring the Surname Gries through Accurate and Technologically Advanced DNA Testing at iGENEA

My DNA journey with iGENEA has deepened my understanding of my lineage and the significance of my surname, "Gries". Utilizing highly accurate DNA testing and sequencing methods - Y-DNA and mtDNA - they traced the ancestral trajectory connected to my surname giving me a thorough and enriching insight into my genetic roots stretching far back in time and history.

W. Gries

Gries: What does the surname Gries mean?

The last name Gries is located mainly in Germany and the countries of which it was once a part, such as Austria and Bavaria. It is believed to be either German or Yiddish in origin.

The most likely theory of the meaning of Gries is that it is a variation of “Gruess,” which is a shortened version of the German word “graue,” meaning “gray.” In German and Yiddish, “greis” means “old man,” and “greys” is commonly used as a nickname for someone with gray hair.

Alternately, the name could also be related to the German word “gries” which means “heap,” suggesting an ancestral occupation involving collecting, sorting, or transporting goods.

The name is often found in old records as Griffin, Grieff, Grief, Griess, Greys, Greis, Grieser, and Greyser. Gries may have also developed as a surname from a place name, as there are many locations including Gries, Grieß, and Griesmühle that may have been the origin of the name.

Overall, Gries may have multiple origins and be linked to various meanings depending on its actual source. It may reference either a personal attribute such as the grey hair of an ancestor, an occupation involving goods, or from a place of origin.

Gries: Where does the name Gries come from?

The last name Gries is most commonly found in Germany and Austria today. According to surname distribution data from Forebears, Gries is currently the 8,964th most common surname in the world and the 876th most common surname in Germany. It is more common in Germany than it is in Austria where it is ranked 2,020th.

Gries is a primarily German-origin name and is believed to be derived from the personal name Greithle or Grede, which is derived from the Middle High German "Grede," meaning offen (open) and unruhig (restless). The name is also closely associated with nobles and knights. The original bearer of the family name used the term gries - the Middle High German word for a scabbard - as a surname, likely to denote the family's history of knighthood.

The Gries surname is especially prevalent in the German state of Bavaria where it ranks as the 390th most common surname, suggesting that the original holders of the surname likely called the region home. The name is also somewhat common in the states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, although it is relatively less widespread in both regions.

Overall, the Gries surname is most commonly found in Germany and Austria, although people with this surname can be found throughout the world.

Variations of the surname Gries

The surname Gries is a toponymic surname derived from the German region of Gries. Variants, spellings, and surnames of similar origin include Greez, Greis, Greisler, Gress, Greiss, Greissel, Grieser, Griez, Grosz and Greus.

Gries typically refers to a person who originated from the German region of Gries. The name itself is usually a reference to residence in a village or town in the Gries region.

Gries is an occupational name as well, referring to someone who was a professional forester or one who derived their livelihood from cutting and selling firewood for a living.

Greez and Greis are originally German variants of the surname which have since been adopted by many other countries, such as Austria. Greisler is a patronymic or matronymic German surname, referring to the descendents of someone whose surname was Greis or Greace.

Gress is a German ethnic surname, derived from a Germanic tribe called Grisii. Greissel is a variant of Greis and is mainly used in German-speaking countries. It means "descendant of Greis", or someone born of the Greis lineage.

Grieser is a slightly changed spelling of the surname "Gries", and is commonly found in the German-speaking regions of Austria and Germany. Griez is a German variant, while Grosz is a Jewish variant of the same name. Greus is another Austrian variant of the surname.

Famous people with the name Gries

• Benedict Gries: German swimmer
• Bob Gries: American banker, entrepreneur and philanthropist
• David Gries: American computer scientist
• Fred Gries: Canadian ice hockey goaltender
• Georg Gries: German sculptor
• Ilse Gries: German Nazi camp guard and war criminal
• Julian Gries: American actor
• Kenneth Gries: American immunologist
• Leopold Gries: Austrian naturalist
• Louis Gries: American author and publisher
• Philip Gries: American orchestral conductor
• Richard Gries: Czech-American biophysicist
• Robert Gries: American entrepreneur and former Chairman of the Board and CEO of Burger King
• Stephen Gries: American computer scientist
• Susan Gries: American harpsichordist
• Tim Gries: American baseball coach

Other surnames

GriebGriebeGriebelGriebeleGriebeleinGriebelerGriebelingGriebenGriebilGrieblGriebleGrieblerGrieblingGrieblingerGriebnerGriecoGriefGrieffGriegatGriegathGriegoGriegoleitGriegulGrieneisenGrienitzGriensteidlGriepGriepekovenGriepenkerlGriepenstroh