Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Gravehungre 1086 DB 1299 Ipm

• Gravinh'ker 1255 RH

• Crauenhungre, Grauenh'nger 1255-6 Ass

• Gravenhungre 1267 Cl

• Gravinhunger 1283 Ipm

• Gravenhongre 1302 Pat 1392 1393 Cl 1411 AD

• Gravonhungur 1343 AD

• Gravenhanger 1695 Morden

• Granhungre 1327 AD

• Grauhonger 1436 AD

• Gravhonger 1437,52 AD

• Gravhongur 1452 AD

• Grenehongher 1550 Pat

• Grenhanger 1583 SBL5452

• Gravenhunger alias Greenhonger 1607 SBL

• Grosvenhunger 1672 HTR

Etymology

Probably 'hanging wood with a coppice', from the gen. of OE  grāfa (variant grǣfe) and hongra (variant hangra ). The identity of the first element is not certain, but this interpretation suits the spellings and makes reasonable sense. It is likely that grāfa was the OE term for coppiced woodland, and if so the word could have been combined with other woodland terms, such as lēah and hangra to denote a part of the area which was managed in this way.