Greaves Family Crest, Coat of Arms & Greaves Name Origin

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Origin of the Name Greaves

The origin of the name Greaves was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. include Greeves and Greeve. This is a locality name meaning 'at the greave' from the old English word 'groefe', meaning a brush-wood or thicket. This name is of English descent and is found in many ancient manuscripts in that country. Examples of such are a John Greaves of County Oxfordshire who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England , in the year 1273. A Mary Greaves was baptised in St. Dionis Backchurch, London, in the year 1610. An Agnes de Greves was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the year 1379. Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired lands by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. In Ireland the name Greaves is often of immigrant origin, especially in Ulster Province where it was introduced by settlers from England and Scotland during the seventeenth century. It is also on record as early as the fourteenth century in County Cork .