This was originally posted on May 16, 2010
As you no doubt are likely to know, Greyson Michael Chance is the YouTube sensation of the moment.
Propelled to viral internet fame by his cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” Greyson has since appeared on the Ellen show and has been dubbed the next Justin Bieber.
With our baby names hat on, Greyson is interesting for another reason. His name is not very common at all in either the US or UK. Here in the UK, Greyson was chosen no more than twice in 2008 (the latest year for which official government naming data is available). In the US for 2009, Greyson was placed 347th.
The more popular spelling of the name is in fact Grayson, which ranks 987th in the UK having been chosen for 26 baby boys in 2008. In the US, this spelling made the top 200, ranking 172nd.
Now of course, this young boy’s fame rollercoaster is no more than a week old, so I could be pre-empting his popularity a little. However, I’m willing to bet that the names Grayson/Greyson see a large leap in popularity over the next year.
Incidentally, the name Greyson means “son of the steward”, ultimately deriving from the Viking word “greifi.”
Oh, and if you haven’t seen the videos, check this out:
