Graham (given name)

Graham (/ˈɡreɪəm/, /ɡræm, ɡræəm/) is a masculine given name in the English language. According to some sources, it comes from an Old English word meaning "grey home". According to other sources, it comes from the surname Graham, which in turn is an Anglo-French form of the name of the town of Grantham, in Lincolnshire, England. The settlement is recorded in the 11th century Domesday Book variously as Grantham, Grandham, Granham and Graham. This place name is thought to be derived from the Old English elements grand, possibly meaning "gravel", and ham, meaning "hamlet" the English word given to small settlements of smaller size than villages. In the 12th century the surname was taken from England to Scotland by Sir William de Graham, who founded Clan Graham. Variant spellings of the forename are Grahame and Graeme. The forename Graham is considered to be an English and Scottish given name.