Find out how popular the last name Grace is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Grace.

Grace, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Grace surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grace in America

Grace is the 1248th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grace surname appeared 28,098 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Grace.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grace to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Grace

The surname GRACE has its origins in England and dates back to the Norman conquest of 1066. It is derived from the Norman French word "gras", meaning plump or stout. Initially, the name was likely used as a nickname for someone who was of a larger build.

During the Middle Ages, the name GRACE appeared in various forms, such as Gras, Grasse, and Gresse. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Gras".

As time passed, the name evolved and took on different spellings, including Grace, Gryce, and Greyce. In the 13th century, a notable figure named Walter le Gras was documented in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire.

In the 14th century, the surname GRACE gained prominence when a family from Norfolk, England, adopted it. This family produced several notable individuals, including Sir John Grace, who served as a Member of Parliament in the late 15th century.

Another prominent historical figure with the surname GRACE was Walter Grace, a 16th-century Catholic martyr and scholar. He was born in Nidd, Yorkshire, in 1525 and was executed in 1588 for his religious beliefs.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the GRACE surname spread throughout England and was associated with several places, such as Grace Dieu in Leicestershire and Grace Hill in Shropshire.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Archibald Grace, a Scottish architect born in 1758. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Assembly Rooms.

The 19th century saw the emergence of William Russell Grace, an Irish-American businessman and politician born in 1832. He founded the W.R. Grace and Company, a prominent chemical company, and served as the first Roman Catholic mayor of New York City.

Another prominent figure with the GRACE surname was William Gilbert Grace, an English cricketer born in 1848. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, he played first-class cricket for over 40 years and scored an astonishing 54,211 runs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grace

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Grace.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Grace was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Grace has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Grace was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Grace, please contact us.

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