2000
#1,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.31
Uncommon Last name
Grady
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Grádaigh, meaning "descendant of Grádaigh" (an Old Irish personal name meaning "noble" or "illustrious").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,759 Americans carry the last name Grady. That puts it at #1,388 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,918 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grady 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 Grady with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,918
Census rank
#1,388
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,079 bearers of the surname Grady in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1388th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grady, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grady
The surname Grady is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic word "gráduighe" which means "illustrious" or "noble." It is believed to have emerged in the 12th century in the counties of Cork and Tipperary, Ireland.
The name Grady is thought to be an anglicized version of the Irish surname "Ó Grádaigh," which translates to "descendant of Grádach." Grádach was likely a personal name derived from the word "gráduighe," signifying someone of noble or distinguished character.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Gradaigh" in the year 1167. The name also appears in various medieval Irish manuscripts, such as the Book of Leinster and the Book of Ballymote.
In the 16th century, the Grady family was prominent in the Barony of Arra and Owney, located in County Tipperary. They were among the leading septs (clans) in the region and held significant influence. Notable members from this era include Thomas Grady, who served as the Archbishop of Cashel from 1564 to 1572.
Over time, the name Grady evolved into various spellings, including Gráda, Grádaigh, and Gradey. These variations were often influenced by the local dialects and the anglicization of the name by English record keepers.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Grady was Donough Grady, who lived in County Cork in the late 16th century. He is mentioned in the Fiants of Elizabeth I, which were records of official pardons and grants issued during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the Grady family played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653). Edmond Grady, born around 1610, was a prominent leader in these conflicts and served as a colonel in the Confederate forces.
Another notable figure from this period was Silius Grady (1610-1675), a Franciscan friar and author. He was born in County Tipperary and wrote several works on religious subjects, including a treatise on the sacraments.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many individuals with the surname Grady emigrated from Ireland to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, contributing to the global spread of the name.
In more recent history, individuals with the surname Grady have achieved recognition in various fields. For example, Henry Francis Grady (1850-1889) was an influential American journalist and orator from Georgia, known for his role in promoting the "New South" after the American Civil War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grady
Among Census respondents with the surname Grady, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Grady 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 Grady surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.7% · 16,984
- Black or African American23.0% · 5,756
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,107
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 911
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 192
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 129
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grady
Grady 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
#1,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,103
+982 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 8.85
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#1,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,079
-1,024 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 8.39
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,290 | 25,121 | 9.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,355 | 26,103 | 8.85 | +982 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #1,388 | 25,079 | 8.39 | -1,024 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 33 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 Grady 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 | #1,355 | #1,388 | -2.4% |
| Count | 26,103 | 25,079 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.85 | 8.39 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grady bearers went from 26,103 to 25,079 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,355 to #1,388.
FAQ
Grady surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grady?
Name Census estimates that about 28,759 living Americans carry the surname Grady. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,918 residents.
How common is Grady?
Grady ranks #1,388 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,079 people with the surname Grady. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,759), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Grady.
Has Grady become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grady went from 26,103 recorded bearers to 25,079. That is a decrease of 1,024 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,355 to #1,388.
What does the Census say about the background of Grady?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grady, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Grady in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (16,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grady appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.7%), Black (23.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Grady (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 Grady mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Grádaigh, meaning "descendant of Grádaigh" (an Old Irish personal name meaning "noble" or "illustrious"). 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 Grady (8.39 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 last name Grady?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Grady at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.