2000
#1,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,727
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.91
Uncommon Last name
Grace
From the Latin "gratia," meaning favor, thanks, or blessing, referring to a person who was favored or blessed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,661 Americans carry the last name Grace. That puts it at #1,255 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,826 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grace surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Grace with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,826
Census rank
#1,255
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,610 bearers of the surname Grace in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1255th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grace, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grace
Among Census respondents with the surname Grace, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grace bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Grace surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.1% · 18,802
- Black or African American20.3% · 5,613
- Two or more races4.7% · 1,297
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 1,248
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 498
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 152
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grace
Grace appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,098
+1,371 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 9.53
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#1,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,610
-488 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 9.24
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,200 | 26,727 | 9.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,248 | 28,098 | 9.53 | +1,371 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #1,255 | 27,610 | 9.24 | -488 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 7 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Grace surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,248 | #1,255 | -0.6% |
| Count | 28,098 | 27,610 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 9.53 | 9.24 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grace bearers went from 28,098 to 27,610 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,248 to #1,255.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grace
FAQ
Grace surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grace?
Name Census estimates that about 31,661 living Americans carry the surname Grace. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,826 residents.
How common is Grace?
Grace ranks #1,255 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,610 people with the surname Grace. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,661), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Grace.
Has Grace become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grace went from 28,098 recorded bearers to 27,610. That is a decrease of 488 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,248 to #1,255.
What does the Census say about the background of Grace?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grace, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.1%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grace in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.1% (18,802 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grace appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.1%), Black (20.3%), Two or More Races (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Grace (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Grace mean?
From the Latin "gratia," meaning favor, thanks, or blessing, referring to a person who was favored or blessed. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Grace (9.24 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Grace?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.