2000
#7,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,963
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.47
Rare Last name
Grainger
An English occupational surname referring to a person who managed a granary or dealt in grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,445 Americans carry the last name Grainger. That puts it at #8,187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,110 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grainger 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 Grainger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,110
Census rank
#8,187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,876 bearers of the surname Grainger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grainger, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grainger
The surname GRAINGER originated in Northern England, particularly in the areas of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "granger," which means a grange or a farmstead. The name can be traced back to the 12th century, when the grange system was introduced by monastic orders to manage their agricultural properties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GRAINGER surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named William le Granger is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273, which lists a John le Graungere.
During the medieval period, the GRAINGER surname was often associated with individuals who worked on granges or farms owned by religious establishments. It's possible that the name originated as an occupational surname for those employed in such roles.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the GRAINGER surname was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, with notable families residing in areas like Cumbria, Durham, and Northumberland. One of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname is Grainger Townfield in Northumberland, which dates back to the 13th century.
Among the notable individuals with the GRAINGER surname throughout history are:
1. Sir Thomas Grainger (1535-1591), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne.
2. Richard Grainger (1798-1861), a prominent builder and developer in Newcastle upon Tyne, responsible for much of the city's Georgian architecture.
3. Percy Grainger (1882-1961), an Australian-born composer and pianist known for works like "Country Gardens" and his advocacy of folk music.
4. Lilian Grainger (1893-1981), a British mathematician and one of the first women to receive a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Cambridge.
5. Harry Grainger (1915-1995), an English footballer who played as a goalkeeper for clubs like Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town.
While the GRAINGER surname has spread worldwide, its origins can be traced back to the agricultural communities of northern England, where it was likely derived from the Old English word for a grange or farmstead.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grainger
Among Census respondents with the surname Grainger, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grainger 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 Grainger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 3,226
- Black or African American9.1% · 353
- Two or more races3.8% · 149
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grainger
Grainger 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
#8,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,972
+9 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 607 places
2020
#8,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,876
-96 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,730 | 3,963 | 1.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,337 | 3,972 | 1.35 | +9 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 607 places |
| 2020 | #8,187 | 3,876 | 1.30 | -96 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 150 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 Grainger 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 | #8,337 | #8,187 | 1.8% |
| Count | 3,972 | 3,876 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.30 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grainger bearers went from 3,972 to 3,876 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,337 to #8,187.
FAQ
Grainger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grainger?
Name Census estimates that about 4,445 living Americans carry the surname Grainger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,110 residents.
How common is Grainger?
Grainger ranks #8,187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,876 people with the surname Grainger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,445), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Grainger.
Has Grainger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grainger went from 3,972 recorded bearers to 3,876. That is a decrease of 96 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,337 to #8,187.
What does the Census say about the background of Grainger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grainger, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Grainger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (3,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grainger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (9.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Grainger (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 Grainger mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who managed a granary or dealt in grain. 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 Grainger (1.30 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 Grainger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Grainger is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.