2000
#17,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Grandison
From a French location referring to a large manor or estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,061 Americans carry the last name Grandison. 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 Grandison 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 Grandison 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 Grandison 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 Grandison, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grandison
The surname Grandison has its origins in France and is derived from the Old French phrase "grand donjon," which refers to a large fortified tower or keep within a castle. This name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century during the Norman period in England, when many French nobles and their retainers accompanied William the Conqueror and received lands and titles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grandison can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Willelmus de Grandissono, who held estates in Wiltshire and Somerset.
In the 13th century, a prominent member of the Grandison family was Sir Otto de Grandison, a powerful baron and military commander who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III. He was captured at the Battle of Lewes in 1264 and later released after the Mise of Lewes, a treaty that sought to resolve the conflict.
Another notable figure bearing the name Grandison was John de Grandison, who served as Bishop of Exeter from 1327 to 1369. He played a significant role in the reconstruction of Exeter Cathedral after it was damaged by an earthquake in 1322. John de Grandison's nephew, Sir Thomas de Grandison, was a renowned military leader who fought in the Hundred Years' War and participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
In the 15th century, Sir William Grandison was a member of the English gentry and served as a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Henry VI. He was involved in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.
Another notable individual with the surname Grandison was Sir John Grandisonson, who lived in the 16th century and served as a courtier to Queen Elizabeth I. He was knighted by the Queen in 1577 and held various positions at the royal court.
The Grandison surname has its roots in medieval France and can be traced back to the Norman conquest of England. Throughout history, individuals bearing this name have played significant roles in various military campaigns, religious affairs, and political endeavors, leaving a lasting impact on the annals of English and French history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grandison
Among Census respondents with the surname Grandison, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Grandison 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 Grandison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.5% · 1,464
- White7.2% · 130
- Two or more races6.0% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grandison
Grandison 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
#16,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,749
+212 bearers (+13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 596 places
2020
#15,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
+48 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 796 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,040 | 1,537 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,444 | 1,749 | 0.59 | +212 bearers (+13.8%) | Up 596 places |
| 2020 | #15,648 | 1,797 | 0.60 | +48 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 796 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 Grandison 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 | #16,444 | #15,648 | 4.8% |
| Count | 1,749 | 1,797 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.60 | 1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grandison bearers went from 1,749 to 1,797 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 796 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,444 to #15,648.
FAQ
Grandison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grandison?
Name Census estimates that about 2,061 living Americans carry the surname Grandison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,305 residents.
How common is Grandison?
Grandison 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 Grandison. 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 Grandison.
Has Grandison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grandison went from 1,749 recorded bearers to 1,797. That is an increase of 48 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,444 to #15,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Grandison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grandison, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.2%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Grandison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (1,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grandison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.5%), White (7.2%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Grandison (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 Grandison mean?
From a French location referring to a large manor or estate. 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 Grandison (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 many people are called Grandison?
Find out how many people are called Grandison on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.