Skip to main content

Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • Swedish : ornamental surname from Swedish gren ‘branch’ (Old Norse grein). In some cases the name may have been chosen with some reference to the notion of the ‘branches’ making up a family ‘tree’, but it also falls into the category of words denoting natural features, which were drawn on heavily when Swedish surnames came to be formed wholesale in the 19th century.

Join the Family

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe