2000
#5,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,436
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Gragg
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near a crag or steep rock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,184 Americans carry the last name Gragg. That puts it at #6,100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gragg 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
6.2K
1 in 55,426
Census rank
#6,100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,393 bearers of the surname Gragg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gragg, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gragg
The surname GRAGG is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "græg" meaning "gray" or "grizzled". The name was initially a descriptive nickname given to someone with gray hair or a grayish complexion.
The earliest recorded instance of the GRAGG surname dates back to the 13th century in the county of Yorkshire, England. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a Richard Gragge residing in the village of Hovingham.
During the medieval period, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Gragge, Graygg, and Gregge. These alterations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions and the influence of regional dialects.
One notable historical figure bearing the GRAGG surname was Sir Thomas Gragg (c. 1490-1555), a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas and was knighted in 1547.
In the 17th century, the GRAGG surname appears in the parish records of Sowerby, Yorkshire, with the baptism of William Gragg in 1624. This region is believed to have been a stronghold for the surname during this period.
Another notable individual with the GRAGG surname was Captain John Gragg (1670-1721), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was commended for his bravery in several naval engagements against the French and the Spanish.
The GRAGG surname also has connections to place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Gragside in Northumberland, which may have derived its name from individuals bearing the GRAGG surname who lived in or owned land in the area.
Other notable individuals with the GRAGG surname include:
1. Robert Gragg (1718-1793), an English poet and writer from Yorkshire.
2. Elizabeth Gragg (1790-1867), a British philanthropist and advocate for women's education.
3. William Gragg (1829-1903), an American Civil War veteran who fought for the Union Army.
4. Henry Gragg (1855-1924), a British explorer and naturalist known for his expeditions to South America.
5. Alice Gragg (1876-1950), an American suffragist and activist for women's rights.
While the GRAGG surname may not have achieved widespread fame, it has a rich history rooted in the English countryside, with its origins dating back to the Middle Ages and its bearers contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gragg
Among Census respondents with the surname Gragg, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gragg 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 Gragg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 4,554
- Black or African American5.7% · 307
- Two or more races4.9% · 263
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gragg
Gragg 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
#6,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,675
+239 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 220 places
2020
#6,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,393
-282 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,827 | 5,436 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,047 | 5,675 | 1.92 | +239 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 220 places |
| 2020 | #6,100 | 5,393 | 1.80 | -282 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 53 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 Gragg 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 | #6,047 | #6,100 | -0.9% |
| Count | 5,675 | 5,393 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.80 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gragg bearers went from 5,675 to 5,393 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,047 to #6,100.
FAQ
Gragg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gragg?
Name Census estimates that about 6,184 living Americans carry the surname Gragg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,426 residents.
How common is Gragg?
Gragg ranks #6,100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,393 people with the surname Gragg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gragg.
Has Gragg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gragg went from 5,675 recorded bearers to 5,393. That is a decrease of 282 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,047 to #6,100.
What does the Census say about the background of Gragg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gragg, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Gragg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (4,554 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gragg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Gragg (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 Gragg mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who lived near a crag or steep rock. 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 Gragg (1.80 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 Americans have the surname Gragg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.