Grant

What does Grant mean?

Grant means “great” or “large,” from an English and Scottish surname rooted in Norman French grand. The surname later became a first name, with American use often honoring Ulysses S. Grant.

Its one-syllable sound gives it a compact shape, while its cultural associations extend from presidential history to American painting. Artist Grant Wood is one of its most recognizable first-name bearers.

From Norman French to a surname

The older word grand described size or stature. It became part of the English and Scottish surname tradition, with the modern spelling Grant preserving the name's short form.

The word's deeper history reaches Latin grandis. Scottish Gaelic also has the surname form Grannd, reflecting the name's place within Scottish family history.

As a given name, Grant keeps the surname's spelling and pronunciation. Its historical use in honor of Ulysses S. Grant is one clear example of a family name being carried into the first-name position.

Ulysses S. Grant and American history

Ulysses S. Grant gives the name a substantial historical association. He commanded Union forces during the American Civil War and later served as president of the United States.

The association remains particularly recognizable in the United States, where Grant has been recorded as a boys' first name throughout the national baby-name data series beginning in 1880.

Grant Wood and American Gothic

Painter Grant Wood supplies a distinct artistic connection. His American Gothic was first exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930, where it won a prize.

The idea began with a house Wood saw in Eldon, Iowa. Its pointed upper window recalled Gothic architecture, and he imagined the kind of people who might live there.

Wood used his dentist, Dr. B. H. McKeeby, and his sister Nan as models for a farmer and the farmer's unmarried daughter. The pitchfork, work clothes, house, and repeated vertical lines became central to the painting's tightly organized image.

The work gives Grant a lasting place in American art. Its familiar figures have continued to make Wood's full name recognizable well beyond museum audiences.

Pronunciation and everyday form

Grant is pronounced GRANT, rhyming with plant in American accents that share the same vowel.

The name has one syllable, opening with gr and closing with nt. It is commonly used in its full form, with no additional syllable needed for everyday speech.

Grant in the United States

Grant reached both its largest American boys' count and its best national rank in 1997, with 3,315 babies and a position of No. 115. It ranked No. 177 in 2015, No. 213 in 2020, and No. 228 in 2025. Its strongest modern American period came in the late 1990s.

How popular is Grant?

In 2025, Grant ranked #228 among boys in the United States, with 1,555 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1880; its largest annual count was 3,315 in 1997. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.