Graham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished Graham family, which is thoroughly woven into the intricate tapestry of Scottish history, finds its origin with the proud Norman people. The name comes from the place Grantham in Lincolnshire, recorded in Domesday Book as Graham.

Early Origins of the Graham family

The surname Graham was first found in Midlothian, where they settled after accompanying Earl David of Huntingdon into Scotland during the 12th century. In 1128, King David I granted the lands of Abercorn and Dalkeith to William de Graham, who is the first recorded member of the Graham Clan in Scotland and was witness to several royal charters. 

Henry de Graham inherited the estates of his father-in-law in Eskdale in 1243. Sir John de Grahame was a faithful companion of the Scottish patriot Sir William Wallace and was killed at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298.

“[Grahamston] derives its name from Sir John the Graham, who was killed here in the battle which Wallace fought with Edward I.” [1]

Early History of the Graham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Graham research.

Graham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Graham, Grahame, Graeme, Grame, Greumach (Gaelic), Montross and many more.

Early Notables of the Graham family (pre 1700)

Notable among the family at this time was William Graham, 4th Lord Graham (1464-1513), who became the Earl of Montrose in 1505; John Graham (1548-1608), 3rd Earl of Montrose was the Chancellor of the University of St Andrews; James Graham (1612-1650), 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Montrose, a Scottish general in the English Civil Wars, who fought for the Royalists.

Graham World Ranking

In the United States, the name Graham is the 104^th most popular surname with an estimated 203,934 people with that name. [2] However, in Canada, the name Graham is ranked the 62^ndmost popular surname with an estimated 34,951 people with that name. [3] And in Australia, the name Graham is the 66^th popular surname with an estimated 34,809 people with that name. [4] New Zealand ranks Graham as 79^th with 4,597 people. [5] The United Kingdom ranks Graham as 72^nd with 62,478 people. [6]

 Migration of the Graham family to Ireland

Some of the Graham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Graham migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were: 

Graham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Ant Graham who settled in Virginia in 1651
• And Graham, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 [7]
• Donell Graham, who landed in Virginia in 1655 [7]
• Elizabeth Graham, who landed in Maryland in 1676 [7]
• Jane Graham, who landed in Maryland in 1677 [7]

Graham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Francis Graham, who landed in New England in 1719 [7]
• Jo Graham, who settled in Georgia in 1733
• Catharine Graham, who arrived in New York, NY in 1738 [7]
• Eliz Graham, who arrived in New York in 1738 [7]
• Angus Graham, who arrived in New York in 1740 [7]

Graham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• James W Graham, who landed in New York in 1801 [7]
• Alexander Graham, aged 34, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 [7]
• Humphry Graham, aged 50, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 [7]
• Gilbert Graham, who landed in America in 1804 [7]
• Joanna Graham, who landed in America in 1805 [7

 Graham migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were: 

Graham Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Augustine Graham, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
• Donald Graham, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1773
• Mr. Mires Graham U.E. (b. 1764) who arrived at Annapolis Royal, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia c. 1782 he died in 1833 in Centreville, Digby County, Nova Scotia, married to Anna Waggoner they had 4 children [8]
• Mr. Oliver Graham U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 [8]
• Mr. Robert Graham U.E. who settled in Kingston, New Brunswick c. 1784 [8]

Graham Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Elizabeth Graham, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1814
• Elizabeth Graham, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1821
• Duncan Graham, who arrived in Canada in 1832
• Sarah Graham, aged 40, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig “William” from Cork, Ireland
• Catherine Graham, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship “Quintin Leitch” in 1833

 Graham migration to Australia+

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: 

Graham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. John Graham, (b. 1786), aged 15, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Irelandfor 7 years, transported aboard the “Atlas” on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1859 [9]
• Miss. Mary Ann Graham, Irish convict who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the “Atlas” on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [9]
• Miss Catherine Mary Ann Graham, British Convict who was convicted in Winchester, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the “Experiment” on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [10]
• Mr. James Graham, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the “Earl Spencer” in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia[11]
• Mr. William Graham, Scottish convict who was convicted in Dumfries, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the “Baring” in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [12

 Graham migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: 

Graham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• Thomas Graham, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1836
• David Graham, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
• George Graham, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
• W S Graham, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
• Mr. Graham, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship “Bee” arriving in Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand in 1840 [13]

Contemporary Notables of the name Graham (post 1700) +

• Katharine Meyer Graham (1917-2001), American publisher of The Washington Post; her memoir, Personal History, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 and she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Martha Graham (1894-1991), American dancer, choreographer and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
• William Franklin “Billy” Graham KBE Jr. (1918-2018), American evangelical Christian evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister, host of the annual Billy Graham Crusades (1947-2005), spiritual adviser to every president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama
• Saundra Graham (1940-2023), American politician from Cambridge, Massachusetts who served as a Cambridge City Councilor from 1971 to 1989, Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1977 to 1988
• Daniel “Dan” Graham (1942-2022), American visual artist, writer, and curator in the writer-artist tradition from Urbana, Illinois
• Big Daddy Graham (1953-2021), born Edward Gudonis, American comedian, writer, actor, recording artist, and sports radio personality on 94 WIP-FM in Philadelphia
• Elizabeth Jennings Graham (1827-1901), American civil rights figure who insisted on her right to ride on a New York City streetcar in 1854, leading to the desegregation of New York City transit systems
• Lawrence Otis Graham (1961-2021), American attorney and New York Times best-selling author
• Ronald Lewis Graham (1935-2020), American mathematician credited by the American Mathematical Society as “one of the principal architects of the rapid development worldwide of discrete mathematics in recent years”
• Chuck Graham (1965-2020), American politician in the Democratic Party

The Graham Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ne oublie
Motto Translation: