2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gralton
From a grange or outlying farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Gralton. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gralton 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Gralton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gralton, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gralton
The surname Gralton originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "græf" and "tun," meaning "grove" and "town" or "settlement," respectively. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a grove or a small wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gralton can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where it appears as "de Graftone." This spelling variation highlights the name's connection to the Old English word "græf."
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Gralton family was primarily concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. The name is also found in various historical records from this period, including the Feet of Fines and the Pipe Rolls.
A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Gralton, a knight who lived in Oxfordshire during the 14th century. He is mentioned in the Parliamentary Rolls of 1322 for his involvement in a legal dispute over land.
In the 15th century, the Gralton family had established a presence in the village of Graftone (now known as Grafton) in Oxfordshire. This place name likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Another prominent figure was William Gralton, a wealthy landowner from Gloucestershire who lived in the late 16th century. He is mentioned in the Visitation of Gloucestershire in 1623 as having made significant contributions to the local community.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gralton family continued to be primarily concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, with some branches also settling in neighboring counties such as Wiltshire and Somerset.
One notable individual from this period was Thomas Gralton, a successful merchant born in Gloucestershire in 1674. He was involved in the wool trade and made a substantial fortune, allowing him to acquire various properties in the region.
In the 19th century, the Gralton name began to spread more widely across England and even to other parts of the British Isles as families migrated in search of new opportunities. Despite this dispersal, the name remained relatively uncommon compared to other English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gralton
Among Census respondents with the surname Gralton, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gralton 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 Gralton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 110
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gralton
Gralton 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,835 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 14,835 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 294 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 Gralton 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 | #146,201 | #146,495 | -0.2% |
| Count | 113 | 114 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gralton bearers went from 113 to 114 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #146,495.
FAQ
Gralton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gralton?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Gralton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Gralton?
Gralton ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Gralton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gralton.
Has Gralton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gralton went from 113 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Gralton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gralton, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Gralton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gralton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Gralton (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 Gralton mean?
From a grange or outlying farm. 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 Gralton (0.04 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 Gralton?
See how many people are called Gralton on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.