About

Welcome to the Grist family website, where we share the rich history and heritage of our family name.

The Grist family is believed to have originated in England, where the word "grist" was commonly used to refer to the amount of grain that was brought to the mill to be ground into flour. It is likely that our ancestors were involved in the milling of grain, either as millers or as workers at a mill. The surname "Grist" could also have originated from a locational reference to someone who lived near a mill or in a place called Grist or Gryst.

Over time, the Grist family name spread beyond England and can now be found all over the world. In each country and region, the name may have taken on slightly different variations or spellings, but the roots remain the same.

The Grist family has a long and proud history, filled with hardworking and dedicated individuals who have contributed to their communities in various ways. We take great pride in our family name and its association with milling and the production of flour, which is an essential ingredient in so many foods that we enjoy today.

Through this website, we hope to connect with other members of the Grist family and share our stories, traditions, and genealogy. We also hope to inspire younger generations of Grists to learn about their family history and to carry on the legacy of hard work, determination, and resilience that our ancestors embodied.

Thank you for visiting the Grist family website, and we hope you enjoy exploring our family's history and heritage.

 

The word "grist" has an interesting etymology. It comes from the Old English word "grystan," which means to grind. In Middle English, the word evolved to "grist" and referred to the amount of grain that was brought to the mill to be ground into flour. The word "grist" is still used today to refer to grain that is being ground or milled.

As for the origin of the surname "Grist," it is likely an occupational name derived from someone who worked at a mill or who was involved in the milling of grain. Alternatively, it could also be a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a mill or in a place called Grist or Gryst.

 

The proverb "all is grist for the mill" means "everything can be made useful, or be a source of profit." There are some minor variations, such as "all's grist that comes to his mill", meaning that the person in question can make something positive out of anything that comes along.

Grist Coat of Arms / Grist Family Crest

The surname of GRIST was derived from the Old Norman 'griss' an occupational name meaning 'a keeper of pigs'. The small villages of Europe, or Royal and Noble households, even large religious dwellings and monasteries, gave rise to many family names, which reflected the occupation or profession of the original bearer of the name. The name spelt 'gris' is also derived from a French spelling meaning "grey" or "grey-haired". The name is also spelt GRISS, GRISTOLD, GRISSWOLD and GRISWOLT. Originally the coat of arms identified the wearer, either in battle or in tournaments. Completely covered in body and facial armour the knight could be spotted and known by the insignia painted on his shield, and embroidered on his surcoat, the draped garment which enveloped him. Early records of the name mention Eustace Gris, 1176 County Kent. Nicholas le Gris, was bailiff of Norwich in the year 1259. Robert le Gris, 1198 Norfolk. Johannes Gryse was listed in the Yorkshire Poll tax of 1379. During the Middle Ages, when people were unable to read or write signs were needed for all visual identification. For several centuries city streets in Britain were filled with signs of all kinds, public houses, tradesmen and even private householders found them necessary. This was an age when there were no numbered houses, and an address was a descriptive phrase that made use of a convenient landmark. At this time, coat of arms came into being, for the practical reason that men went into battle heavily armed and were difficult to recognise. It became the custom for them to adorn their helmets with distinctive crests, and to paint their shields with animals and the like. Coats of arms accompanied the development of surnames, becoming hereditary in the same way. Other records include Leticia Grise of Yorkshire, who was recorded in the year 1317 and Thomas Grys of Sussex appears in the year 1327. Walter Griss was recorded in County Lancashire in 1337. In many parts of central and western Europe, hereditary surnames began to become fixed at around the 12th century, and have developed and changed slowly over the years. As society became more complex, and such matters as the management of tenure, and in particular the collection of taxes were delegated to special functionaries, it became imperative to distinguish a more complex system of nomenclature to differentiate one individual from another.

French: It was a Breton name given to a person with gray hair. The name Grist is derived from the Old French word "gris," which means "gray" and was often given to someone with gray hair. Source: HouseofNames

English: was derived from the Old Norman 'griss' an occupational name meaning 'a keeper of pigs'.

The Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press states that the surname Grist is of uncertain origin. It may be an occupational nickname for a miller, from the Middle English abstract noun grist ‘grinding’, Old English grist, a derivative of grindan (see Grinder). The word was not used in the concrete sense of grain to be ground until the 15th century.

German: Linguistically the name Sigrist is not a German term. It is a transliteration or a phonetic spelling of the Medieval Latin sacrista, which appears in English as sacrist, which at times is used in the sense sacristan. The latter is a derivative from the Medieval Latin sacristanus, coming into English through the French sacristain. The sacristin in those early days was the one who had charge of the church edifice, or more particularly, of the robes and vestments, that is, of the ecclesiastical regalia which appertained to the ritualistic service in the church-edifice.

The family name Siegrist accordingly belongs to that large class of German family names known as occupative names, that is, names derived from an occupation. Since Sigrist is a designation of an ecclesiastical official or of a verger, whose official functions were those named above, it would seem to follow that from an ecclesiastical viewpoint that family name was in the first place a Catholic name or the name of a Catholic.

The surname of GRISWOLD was derived from the Old Norman ‘griss’ an occupational name meaning ‘a keeper of pigs’. The small villages of Europe, or Royal and Noble households, even large religious dwellings and monasteries, gave rise to many family names, which reflected the occupation or profession of the original bearer of the name. The name spelt ‘gris’ is also derived from a French spelling meaning “grey” or “grey-haired”.The name is also spelt GRISS, GRISTOLD, GRISSWOLD and GRISWOLT. Originally the coat of arms identified the wearer, either in battle or in tournaments. Completely covered in body and facial armour the knight could be spotted and known by the insignia painted on his shield, and embroidered on his surcoat, the draped garment which enveloped him. Early records of the name mention Eustace Gris, 1176
County Kent. Nicholas le Gris, was bailiff of Norwich in the year 1259. Robert le Gris, 1198 Norfolk. Johannes Gryse was listed in the Yorkshire Poll tax of 1379. During the Middle Ages, when people were unable to read or write signs were needed for all visual identification. For several centuries
city streets in Britain were filled with signs of all kinds, public houses, tradesmen and even private householders found them necessary. This was an age when there were no numbered houses, and an address was a descriptive phrase that made use of a convenient landmark. At this time, coat of arms came into being, for the practical reason that men went into battle heavily armed and were difficult to recognise. It became the custom for them to adorn their helmets with distinctive crests, and to paint their shields with animals and the like. Coats of arms accompanied the development
of surnames, becoming hereditary in the same way. Other records include Leticia Grise of
Yorkshire, who was recorded in the year 1317 and Thomas Grys of Sussex appears in the year
1327. Walter Griss was recorded in County Lancashire in 1337. In many parts of central and western Europe, hereditary surnames began to become fixed at around the 12th century, and have developed and changed slowly over the years. As society became more complex, and such
matters as the management of tenure, and in particular the collection of taxes were delegated to special functionaries, it became imperative to distinguish a more complex system of nomenclature to differentiate one individual from another.

ARMS – Quarterly, gules, and azure, on a bend argent three boars passant sable armed or
CREST – A boar passant sable ducally gorged or
MOTTO – Nil Desperandum – Never Despair

This family is truly native to Brittany where it had been established for several centuries. It is found at different times, in various localities and there have been many illustrious characters of this name. We point out the characters worthy of memory: Guillaume, lord of Clos, doctor of medicine in 1696; controllers of the denier and bettors of Landerneau since 1696; a famous chief of chouans, lieutenant, then successor of Boishardy in 1795; an ordinary preacher of King Louis XVIII, who died in 1819, who courageously offered himself to There are (from the 13th century) important alliances with noble families in Brittany and other French regions....