The surname Grant is of English and Scottish origin; though especially Scottish. It was a Norman nickname derived from the Anglo-Norman-French ‘graund’, ‘graunt’, meaning tall, large ( the Old French ‘grand’, ‘grant’, from the Latin ‘grandis’ ). It was a sobriquet for one of big and broad proportions, a giant in size. It was also given as a relative way to distinguish two bearers of the same given name, often representatives of different generations within the same family. This surname has ramified very strongly in Scotland. It may also be derived from a medieval given name, most likely a survival into Middle English of the Old English byname Granta. The Scottish Clan Grant is one of the main branches of the Siol Alpine of which Clan Gregor is chief. The Scottish Grants claim that the name is derived from a moor called Sliabh-Griantais, ‘plain of the sun’. The first record of this name is in Scotland and is that of a, Sir Lawrence Grant, sheriff of Inverness in 1263. This name was borne by the famous Civil War general and eighteenth president of America, Ulysses S. Grant ( 1822-85 ); he was of Scottish stock. One of the first fore fat…
Coat of arms: Gules, three antique crowns or, within a bordure erminois, on a can…