2000
#15,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,733
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Granberry
Germanic surname referring to an area with abundant berries or a dealer of berries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,039 Americans carry the last name Granberry. That puts it at #15,792 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Granberry 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
2.0K
1 in 168,099
Census rank
#15,792
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,778 bearers of the surname Granberry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15792nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Granberry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.9%. The next largest groups are White (45.6%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Granberry
The surname Granberry is of English origin, with its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gran" and "bury," which together mean "a granary or a place where grain was stored." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been associated with the storage or cultivation of grain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Granberry name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where a person named William de Granere is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Granere," provides insights into the name's evolution over time.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, including the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1278, which mentioned a Richard de Granebury. This spelling reflects the transition from the Old English "gran" to the more modern "grain."
Notably, the Granberry surname is also believed to have been derived from the place name Granborough in Buckinghamshire, England. This connection suggests that some early bearers of the name may have hailed from or been associated with this particular location.
In the 14th century, the Granberry surname continued to appear in historical records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John de Granebury was mentioned in 1345.
Over the centuries, the name has been adapted to various spellings, including Granbury, Granberry, and Granborough, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.
Among the notable individuals who bore the Granberry surname throughout history, one can mention:
1. John Granberry (1647-1720), an English merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.
2. William Granberry (1725-1805), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Elizabeth Granberry (1789-1864), an English author and poet from Oxfordshire.
4. Thomas Granberry (1820-1892), an American politician who served as a Congressman from Virginia.
5. Robert Granberry (1876-1948), an American educator and author who wrote extensively on Native American languages and cultures.
The Granberry surname has a rich history that spans several centuries, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of its bearers across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Granberry
Among Census respondents with the surname Granberry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.9%. The next largest groups are White (45.6%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Granberry 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 Granberry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.9% · 833
- White45.6% · 811
- Two or more races5.0% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Granberry
Granberry 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
#15,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,866
+133 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#15,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,778
-88 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,509 | 1,733 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,651 | 1,866 | 0.63 | +133 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #15,792 | 1,778 | 0.59 | -88 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 141 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 Granberry 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 | #15,651 | #15,792 | -0.9% |
| Count | 1,866 | 1,778 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.59 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Granberry bearers went from 1,866 to 1,778 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,651 to #15,792.
FAQ
Granberry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Granberry?
Name Census estimates that about 2,039 living Americans carry the surname Granberry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,099 residents.
How common is Granberry?
Granberry ranks #15,792 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,778 people with the surname Granberry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,039), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Granberry.
Has Granberry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Granberry went from 1,866 recorded bearers to 1,778. That is a decrease of 88 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,651 to #15,792.
What does the Census say about the background of Granberry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Granberry, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.9%. The next largest groups are White (45.6%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Granberry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.9% (833 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Granberry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.9%), White (45.6%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Granberry (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 Granberry mean?
Germanic surname referring to an area with abundant berries or a dealer of berries. 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 Granberry (0.59 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 have the surname Granberry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.