2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gramham
A surname derived from an English place name meaning "grange" or "homestead" with the suffix "-ham."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Gramham. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gramham 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Gramham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gramham, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gramham
The surname Gramham is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "gram" meaning "angry" or "fierce," and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone residing in a fierce or contentious village.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk from 1182, which mention a person named Willelmus de Gramham. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, making them a valuable source of historical information on surnames and individuals from that time period.
The name Gramham also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1208, where a individual named Robertus de Gramham is mentioned. These rolls were records of legal proceedings held before the King's Court, further establishing the presence of the surname in medieval England.
During the 13th century, the name Gramham was found in various forms, including Gremham, Gremeham, and Gremham. These variations likely arose due to the challenges of standardized spelling in earlier times. One notable individual from this period was William de Gremeham, who was mentioned in the Patent Rolls of 1272, which recorded letters patent issued by the English Crown.
In the 14th century, the surname Gramham was associated with several prominent figures. One such individual was John de Gremham, who served as the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in 1341. Another was Thomas de Gramham, a landowner in Westmorland who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records from 1378, which documented land transactions.
As time progressed, the spelling of the surname became more standardized, and by the 16th century, the modern spelling of "Gramham" was commonly used. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Richard Gramham, a Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Ripon in Yorkshire during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Throughout the centuries, the Gramham surname has been associated with various locations in England, including Gramham in Lincolnshire, Grameham in Sussex, and Grameham Hall in Suffolk. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and its potential origins as a locational descriptor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gramham
Among Census respondents with the surname Gramham, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gramham 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 Gramham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.5% · 52
- Black or African American40.6% · 41
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gramham
Gramham 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+10 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 250 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-31 bearers (-23.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 26,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 250 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -31 bearers (-23.5%) | Down 26,223 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 Gramham 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 | #129,047 | #155,270 | -20.3% |
| Count | 132 | 101 | -23.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gramham bearers went from 132 to 101 (-23.5% change). The surname moved down 26,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #155,270.
FAQ
Gramham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gramham?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Gramham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Gramham?
Gramham ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Gramham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Gramham.
Has Gramham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gramham went from 132 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 31 (-23.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gramham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gramham, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.5%. The next largest groups are Black (40.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Gramham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.5% (52 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gramham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.5%), Black (40.6%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Gramham (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 Gramham mean?
A surname derived from an English place name meaning "grange" or "homestead" with the suffix "-ham." 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 Gramham (0.03 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 Gramham?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Gramham at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.