Our Surname

Grimason Name Meaning;

Apparently a variant of either Grimson or Grimston with preservation of the medial syllable. Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016

Grimason is a very rare surname, few people in Northern Ireland have the family name and it might have arisen from Northern Ireland.

Grimason Family Population Trend;

The incidence of Grimason has changed through the years. In Scotland the number of people who held the Grimason last name increased 9,000 percent between 1881 and 2014; in The United States it increased 989 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it increased 530 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it declined 98 percent between 1901 and 2014.

The last name Grimason occurs more in Northern Ireland more than any other country or territory.

It may also be rendered in the variant forms:

Grimmason 1 France, Grimeson 6 USA, Grimoson 1 USA, Grimmeison 10 USA, Grimeisen 5 Germany, Grimmeisen 462 Germany, Grimmeissen 43 USA

Grimison: 61 Australia, 58 USA, 18 England, 6 Wales,5 Northern Ireland, 1 Canada,1 Germany,1 Malayasia,1 Panama

Gremison 1 Malawai

Grimesey 72 USA, 1 Bulgaria

Of interest Findmypast.com claim “The earliest occurrence of the Grimison surname in our family history documents is from 1608”. Baptism/ Christening: John GRIMISON 11 Feb 1608, Stalmine, Lancashire, England Burial: Thomas GRIMASON 8 August 1610,Leeds, St Peter, Yorkshire, England. Baptism: Catharina GRIMMEISEN 30 Aug 1601, Baden-Württemberg,Germany. These three finds indicate that the GRIMASON surname did not originate in Northern Ireland as some think and is likely to be of Scandinavian Origin and to have been what is referred to as being a Patronymic Surname for example William son of Grima =  William Grimason, remember that surnames as such did not become fixed until about 1600.

Surnames of the Family and other information.

GRIMESON

Stewart J.A. Woolever Jr. ( Stewart Woolever’s e-mail address ).

At the Willever- Woolever Family Roots of New Jersey & Pa. Kin site this was found;

JOSEPH ALOYSIUS GRIMESON was born 12th September 1896, and died September 1971 in Montclair,Essex County, New Jersey.

He married EDITH MILDRED WOOLEVER, daughter of JACOB WOOLEVER and MARY VOGEL.

She was born 1st October 1899 in Hackettstown, New Jersey, and died 26th September 1988 in Montclair, Essex County, New Jersey.

Notes for JOSEPH ALOYSIUS GRIMESON: Surname is also spelt; GRIMASON or GRIMISON JOSEPH ALOYSIUS GRIMESON was one of 11 IRISH CATHOLIC KIDS He served in WW1, He died in Newark, Essex, New Jersey, USA

de Hospital, He is buried in Newark, New Jersey, in the GRIMESON Plot, located on the North side of the Garden State Parkway in Newark, New Jersey, USA. Grimeson, Joseph Social Security #: 147-05-7330

The Grimmesey Surname is claimed to be a corruption of the Grimason surname. Some variations of the Grimmesey surname are; Grimesay, Grimesey, Grimmacy, Grimacey, Grimasy, Grimesy, Grimmesey, Grimmesy, Gremesey & Grimecy.    

GRIMMESEY

JAMES KENNETH SWANSON ( James. K. Swanson’s e-mail address ) ,states at his site the following; John Wesley GRIMMESEY, son of John GRIMMESEY and Anna JONES.

He was born April 24, 1824 in County Tyrone, Ireland, and died November 11, 1892 in Warren, Ohio, USA.

He married Lucinda Hendricks PAINTER daughter of SAMUEL PAINTER and MARY HENDRICKS. Lucinda Hendricks PAINTER was born June 01, 1827 in Home farm Salem, Ohio, and died August 12, 1901 in Warren, Ohio.

Notes for John Wesley GRIMMESEY : His parents were English Episcopalians, who migrated from England to Ireland.

The name, primarily GRIMASON, became modified into GRIMMESEY in the latter country.

A man of wide information, of deep sympathy, a pioneer and enthusiastic worker in the Prohibition Party, at the front in all reformatory temperance movements, and in all movements that contributed to the betterment of his fellowmen.

( “Surnames of Scotland” by G Black ) Page 331. John Grvmansonne (Grumanson ) of Strathdon, Aberdeen, Scotland. 1494

In the book “Surnames as a science” by “Robert Ferguson” “2nd Edition”. Page 104.

The author states the following; “Men’s names in Place names” Anglo-Saxon Man’s Name: Grim, Place Name: Grimaston, Present Name: Grimstone, Norfolk

Based on the probability that the GRIMASON surname is a corruption of the GRIMASTON name then this would imply that the GRIMSON, GRIMSTON and GRIMSTONE surname are more than likely related. Food for thought. Then again the meaning of the surname could be simply “Son of Grima or Grimmerson, son of Grimmer, son of Grim” Are the Grimshaw’s connected to the Grimason’s? Not all Grimshaw’s are connected to the Grimason family. It appears that only the Grimshaw’s that have origins of County Armagh are actually connected to the Grimason family name. This is because some of the Grimason family adopted the Grimshaw surname and used both surnames. The Grimshaw’s of White House, Carnmondy, Antrim, Ireland are not related going by the research I have done to date, this family can be traced back to the Grimshaw’s of Pendle Forest, Lancashire, England and also to Grymsagh which is near Blackburn in Lancashire England this is were the cotton Barons of Ireland came from. I have proof that the Grimshaw families of County Armagh Ireland are in fact Grimason’s this includes those that can prove their origin as being from County Armagh, Ireland and this is by way of ; 1. A probate will for one John Grimason otherwise Grimshaw who died at Kilmoriarty, Armagh, Ireland on the 5th Feb 1903. 2. The case of my Great Grand father Robert Henry Grimason who applied for a New Zealand Government land grant as Robert Henry Grimmason and sailed on the “GANGES” as Robert H Grimshaw arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on the 14th Feb 1865 ex Queenstown ( now days Cobh ), Cork, Ireland. In 1870 Robert H Grimmason sold the land here in New Zealand, he then used the GRIMASON surname for the last time in a court case in 1876 here in New Zealand and then in 1884 he married as Robert Henry Grimshaw. Francis a brother of Robert’s also adopted the Grimshaw surname in the 1870’s, yet another brother Thomas George retained the Grimason surname sadly I have found no evidence that Thomas George Grimason having any descendants, Joseph another Brother of Robert’s also retained the GRIMASON surname, descendants of his currently live in New Jersey, USA.   3. Another case is that of Zacharias Grimason who married Elizabeth Fox in Seagoe, Armagh, Ireland, their last son Shadrac Grimason ( Grimeson) was born in 1870 in Armagh, Ireland and in 1873 Shadrac Grimshaw died in Coatbridge, Scotland. Shadrac’s father being listed as Zacharias Grimshaw and his mother as Elizabeth Grimshaw nee Fox, the whole family is shown in the 1881 census of Scotland as being a Grimshaw family, Descendants of Zacharias now live here in New Zealand. This concludes the evidence and thus I rest my case. The below are either being worked on or have been completed, the GRIMSHAW surname in these countries, this is to identify the GRIMSHAW families that are in actual fact GRIMASON families and there are just to many GRIMSHAW families in England to for this research Hence I hope to be able to sift out GRIMASON’s that Adopted the GRIMSHAW surname. This all going into a file I call Strays. Research of the Grimshaw’s of Scotland up to about 1920 has been completed this is being treated similar to a One Name Study. Research of the Grimshaw’s of Australia up to about 1920 is being researched. Research of the Grimshaw’s of New Zealand up to 1920 is being worked on. Research GRIMSHAW of Canada and USA has started.