2000
#18,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,413
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.52
Rare Last name
Graddy
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning "valley" or "gradual slope".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,674 Americans carry the last name Graddy. That puts it at #18,669 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 204,752 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graddy 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.
Bearers in the US
1.7K
1 in 204,752
Census rank
#18,669
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,460 bearers of the surname Graddy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18669th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graddy
The surname Graddy is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "græd" meaning greed or greedy, and "ig" meaning a field or meadow. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who owned or lived near a field or meadow that was particularly fertile or abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Greddig" in the county of Wiltshire. This indicates that the name had already become established in parts of southern England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the name such as "Greddy" and "Grady" began to appear in various records and documents across England. These spellings likely reflect regional dialects and the evolving nature of the English language at the time.
In the late 15th century, a notable individual named John Graddy was recorded as a merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol. He was involved in the thriving wool trade and is believed to have played a role in the construction of St. Stephen's Church in the heart of the city.
Another significant figure was Sir Thomas Graddy, born in 1602 in Northamptonshire. He served as a member of Parliament and was knighted by King Charles I in 1628 for his loyal service to the crown during the early years of the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the Graddy family had established roots in the county of Yorkshire, where several members were prominent landowners and farmers. One notable individual was William Graddy (1723-1795), who was involved in the development of new agricultural practices and is credited with introducing improved methods of crop rotation and livestock management to the region.
As the British Empire expanded, the name Graddy began to appear in various parts of the world, carried by merchants, settlers, and emigrants. One such individual was James Graddy (1789-1867), who was born in Lincolnshire but later emigrated to the United States, settling in Virginia and becoming a successful plantation owner and businessman.
In more recent times, the name Graddy has been associated with various fields, including academia, arts, and sports. For example, Dr. Emily Graddy (born 1958) is a renowned economist and professor at Boston College, specializing in public finance and urban economics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graddy
Among Census respondents with the surname Graddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Graddy 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 Graddy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.4% · 925
- Black or African American28.8% · 421
- Two or more races4.5% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graddy
Graddy 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
#18,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,461
+48 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Down 601 places
2020
#18,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,460
-1 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Up 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,165 | 1,413 | 0.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,766 | 1,461 | 0.50 | +48 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 601 places |
| 2020 | #18,669 | 1,460 | 0.49 | -1 bearers (-0.1%) | Up 97 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 Graddy 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 | #18,766 | #18,669 | 0.5% |
| Count | 1,461 | 1,460 | -0.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.49 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graddy bearers went from 1,461 to 1,460 (-0.1% change). The surname moved up 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,766 to #18,669.
FAQ
Graddy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graddy?
Name Census estimates that about 1,674 living Americans carry the surname Graddy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 204,752 residents.
How common is Graddy?
Graddy ranks #18,669 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,460 people with the surname Graddy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,674), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Graddy.
Has Graddy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graddy went from 1,461 recorded bearers to 1,460. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,766 to #18,669.
What does the Census say about the background of Graddy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Graddy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (925 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graddy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.4%), Black (28.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Graddy (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 Graddy mean?
A surname derived from an Old English word meaning "valley" or "gradual slope". 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 Graddy (0.49 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 common is the surname Graddy?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Graddy at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.