Grant

Grant ~ Great ~ English, Scottish origins                                                               updated: 2015

Grant is one of those classic names that will probably never fall out of use, but it has become particularly in vogue in the past decade. Celebrities like Cary Grant, Hugh Grant, Grant Wood and Grant Hill have done nothing to hurt the name, and have probably given it artistic, and romantic flavor. I also think it's an appealing choice to new parents because it fits in a trend of using surnames as first names.

Grant is also the famed surname of the US President and Commanding General who led the Union Army to victory during the Civil War. His strength and leadership give Grant a patriotic, presidential quality to this day.

Popularity
Grant may have hit a peak in 1997, when statistics show it was the most popular it's been in America's history at 115. Today it's ranked at 155 (for 2014), which is a great testimony to Grant's likability and stability as a gentlemanly classic. Grant strikes me as classy but down-to-earth, and familiar but not yet overused.

Meaning
Though the meaning of the name is "great," I would argue that a secondary meaning could be "to bestow or to give," which is how we use this word in our everyday lives. Combine the two, and you have a great gift, which is what every baby is.

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