2000
#9,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,268
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Grafton
A locational surname derived from various places in England meaning "grove farm" or "gravel homestead."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,714 Americans carry the last name Grafton. That puts it at #9,597 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,287 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grafton 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 Grafton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,287
Census rank
#9,597
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,239 bearers of the surname Grafton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9597th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafton, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grafton
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafton, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Grafton 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 Grafton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 2,683
- Black or African American10.0% · 323
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 103
- Two or more races2.9% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grafton
Grafton 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
#9,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,409
+141 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 361 places
2020
#9,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,239
-170 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,174 | 3,268 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,535 | 3,409 | 1.16 | +141 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 361 places |
| 2020 | #9,597 | 3,239 | 1.08 | -170 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 62 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 Grafton 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 | #9,535 | #9,597 | -0.7% |
| Count | 3,409 | 3,239 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.08 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grafton bearers went from 3,409 to 3,239 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,535 to #9,597.
FAQ
Grafton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grafton?
Name Census estimates that about 3,714 living Americans carry the surname Grafton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,287 residents.
How common is Grafton?
Grafton ranks #9,597 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,239 people with the surname Grafton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,714), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Grafton.
Has Grafton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grafton went from 3,409 recorded bearers to 3,239. That is a decrease of 170 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,535 to #9,597.
What does the Census say about the background of Grafton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafton, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Grafton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (2,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grafton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Black (10.0%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Grafton (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 Grafton mean?
A locational surname derived from various places in England meaning "grove farm" or "gravel homestead." 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 Grafton (1.08 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 are called Grafton?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Grafton is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.