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

Grafton, 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 Grafton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grafton in America

Grafton is the 9535th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grafton surname appeared 3,409 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Grafton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grafton 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 Grafton

The surname Grafton is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Grafton in Northamptonshire, England. The name Grafton itself is derived from the Old English words "graef" meaning grove or small woods, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement.

The earliest recorded spelling of the surname Grafton appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Graftone". This record suggests that the name was well-established in England at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Over the centuries, the name Grafton has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest examples is Richard Grafton (c. 1511-1572), an English historian and printer who published the first printed edition of the "Chronicles of England" in 1568.

Another prominent figure with the surname Grafton was Augustus Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton (1735-1811), a British Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1768 to 1770. He was also a prominent patron of the arts and a noted racehorse owner.

In the literary world, Richard Grafton (1892-1937) was a British author and journalist who wrote several popular novels, including "The Peasants' Revolt" and "The Uncrowned King".

The name Grafton has also been associated with places in both England and the United States. In England, there are several villages and parishes named Grafton, including Grafton Regis in Northamptonshire and Grafton Flyford in Worcestershire.

In the United States, the city of Grafton in West Virginia was named after Sir Dudley Grafton, a prominent English landowner in the 18th century. The town of Grafton, Massachusetts, was also likely named after the English town of Grafton.

Another notable figure with the surname Grafton was Sue Grafton (1940-2017), an American author best known for her "alphabet series" of mystery novels featuring the private investigator Kinsey Millhone.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grafton

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

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 Grafton 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 Grafton 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 Grafton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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