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I love Grace despite its popularity. I don't like Gracie at all either. It's just so... insubstantial. It ruins such an elegant name. I don't know all that many Graces but then again the name seems most popular for people about 15 years younger than I am, and I don't know many people that age. I had one in my grade in highschool but she was a rarity.

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It doesn't seem religious to me because I see it as just a name. I don't think of it in terms of its meaning. But I suppose it could be read as religious. It definitely feels less religious than Faith, that's for sure.

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I know it's boring, but I've always adored the combo Grace Elizabeth.

This message was edited 6/18/2017, 10:23 AM

I do like Grace, but I like the variant Gratia more and the masculine version Gratien even more so.

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It does sound religious to me because one of the meanings of the word grace is God's favour. I also like the other meaning of grace which is to walk or have a graceful manner.

I love Grace. I seem to know a few young girls and teens named Grace, but it doesn't seem overly common. Gracie is avoidable since Grace is short enough. It doesn't sound religious at all.

Grace is a common middle name because it's fairly easy to combine with other names. It's in the same category as Marie and Rose when it comes to that.
I haven't actually seen in used as a first name unless in the case of one youtuber. It's not going to turn heads, but it's not going to sound overly familiar either. And I actually prefer it to the Gray/Grayson names that have been gaining a lot of traction lately.
It does sound religious to my ears. But it doesn't sound as religious as Faith or Mary. I can see Grace as a word-name completely detached from its religious background.

This message was edited 6/18/2017, 11:00 AM

I think it's pretty common as a first name. There's been at least one at every school I've gone to, sometimes more. Usually Grace but I know I've met at least ne Grayce. I've never met one that goes by Gracie, so I think it's easy to avoid.

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I like it on other people but I wouldn't use it myself. It's common, but for me it doesn't have any bad associations from being a popular name.

I love Grace and wouldn't assume that a bearer's parents were religious. I agree with you about Gracie and am unsure if it's inevitable...probably, so I don't think I'd use Grace up front.

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I don't know very many Graces but I also don't spend much time around small children.

Grace is religious-sounding: grace as a common noun is more often found in religious contexts than in connection with elegant movement (graceful) or elegant behaviour (gracious).

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I don't find it interesting and would certainly never think of using it. I know one Grace, aged about 60, and one Gracelyn, aged about 6. My country doesn't make birth stats public, so I can't say a sensible word about frequency here, whether as a fn or a mn.

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BTW, 60-year-old Grace was nicknamed Dis by her brother when they were at school, and he still sometimes uses it. Her mn is Corinne! I find Grace Corinne very unexpected and lovely.

This message was edited 6/18/2017, 1:04 PM

Depends where you are. In my city, I don't know any -- and I'm a preschool teacher. I did not grow up with any either. But I spend a lot of time in a small town nearby, and when I read their newspaper (which features local kids a lot) and listen to names at playgrounds etc it seems Grace is one of the most common names there.

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A Grace will likely get called Gracie at some point, but if she doesn't encourage it it's unlikely to stick. Personally, I love Gracie.

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I think Grace makes a beautiful first name. A bit tired as a middle name, yeah, but if it's meaningful to the parents then great.

I taught at a small all-girls boarding school from 2013-2015, and there were three girls named Grace in the same grade. It's lost its charm for me due to overuse.

Grace is a name that has come back into style. I believe that it is used a great deal as a middle name, as well as a first. It's nice, but not a favourite of mine. Gracie as a given name seems silly to me, but it's okay as a nickname.