2000
#13,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Gram
A nickname derived from the Old Norse word "gramr," meaning "fierce" or "angry," likely referring to a warrior.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,061 Americans carry the last name Gram. That puts it at #15,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gram 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 Gram with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,305
Census rank
#15,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,797 bearers of the surname Gram in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gram, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gram
The surname "GRAM" has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark and Norway. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "gramr," which means "angry" or "fierce." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone with a fierce or aggressive demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "GRAM" can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of narratives written in the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Saga of Grettir the Strong, there is a character named Gram Gunnarsson, who lived in the late 10th century.
The name "GRAM" was also present in medieval Denmark. In the Annals of Roskilde, a chronicle written in the 13th century, there is mention of a man named Niels Gram, who lived in the late 12th century and served as a canon in the city of Roskilde.
During the Renaissance period, the name "GRAM" gained prominence in Denmark. One notable individual was Hans Gram (1518-1578), a Danish humanist scholar and historian who wrote extensively about Danish history and culture.
In the 17th century, the name "GRAM" spread to other parts of Scandinavia and Europe. A prominent figure was Jens Gram (1637-1700), a Norwegian theologian and bishop who played a significant role in the reformation of the Danish-Norwegian church.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jens Dolmer Gram (1770-1841), a Danish philologist and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Old Norse and Icelandic literature. He published several works on Norse mythology and language.
In the 19th century, the name "GRAM" gained recognition in the field of archaeology. Jens Jacob Asmussen Gram (1838-1923) was a Danish archaeologist and curator who made important discoveries related to the Viking Age and Bronze Age in Denmark.
While the name "GRAM" has its roots in Scandinavia, it has spread to other parts of the world over time. One famous bearer of this surname was Hans Gram (1853-1938), a Norwegian-American artist and painter who was known for his landscape and marine paintings.
The surname "GRAM" has a rich history and has been borne by numerous notable individuals throughout the centuries, particularly in Scandinavia and Denmark. From scholars and theologians to archaeologists and artists, the name has left its mark across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gram
Among Census respondents with the surname Gram, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gram 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 Gram surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.7% · 1,342
- Black or African American16.8% · 301
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 62
- Two or more races3.4% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gram
Gram 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
#14,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,988
-154 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,783 places
2020
#15,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
-191 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 767 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,098 | 2,142 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,881 | 1,988 | 0.67 | -154 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 1,783 places |
| 2020 | #15,648 | 1,797 | 0.60 | -191 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 767 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 Gram 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 | #14,881 | #15,648 | -5.2% |
| Count | 1,988 | 1,797 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.60 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gram bearers went from 1,988 to 1,797 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 767 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,881 to #15,648.
FAQ
Gram surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gram?
Name Census estimates that about 2,061 living Americans carry the surname Gram. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,305 residents.
How common is Gram?
Gram ranks #15,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,797 people with the surname Gram. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Gram.
Has Gram become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gram went from 1,988 recorded bearers to 1,797. That is a decrease of 191 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,881 to #15,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Gram?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gram, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Gram in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.7% (1,342 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gram appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.7%), Black (16.8%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Gram (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 Gram mean?
A nickname derived from the Old Norse word "gramr," meaning "fierce" or "angry," likely referring to a warrior. 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 Gram (0.60 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 common is the surname Gram?
See how common the surname Gram is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.