2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grandys
A surname potentially derived from the French grand meaning "large" or "great."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Grandys. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grandys 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Grandys in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grandys, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grandys
The surname GRANDYS is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "grandis," meaning "large" or "great." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone with a tall or imposing stature.
The earliest known record of the GRANDYS name appears in the Cartulaire de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript dating back to the late 12th century. This document mentions a certain Radulfus Grandys, who was a landowner in the vicinity of Chartres, a city in northern France.
During the Middle Ages, the GRANDYS family was likely part of the lesser nobility or the gentry class in Normandy. Some historical references indicate that members of the family served as knights or men-at-arms under various Norman lords and participated in military campaigns throughout the region.
Notable individuals bearing the GRANDYS surname include Jean Grandys (1490-1558), a French scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Paris and authored several works on theology and philosophy. Another prominent figure was Pierre Grandys (1625-1692), a French Jesuit priest and missionary who traveled to North America and documented his experiences among the indigenous populations.
In the 17th century, the GRANDYS name began to spread beyond France as members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and the New World. One such individual was Jacques Grandys (1670-1745), a French Huguenot who fled religious persecution and settled in the Dutch Republic, where he became a successful merchant.
Across the Atlantic, the earliest known bearer of the GRANDYS name in North America was Marie Grandys (1645-1702), a French immigrant who settled in Quebec, Canada, in the late 17th century. Her descendants went on to establish several branches of the GRANDYS family across various regions of Canada and the United States.
Another notable figure was Antoine Grandys (1785-1864), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. He fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Waterloo, and was later awarded the Legion of Honor for his service.
While the GRANDYS surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history spanning centuries and several continents, reflecting the migration patterns and experiences of those who bore this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grandys
Among Census respondents with the surname Grandys, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grandys 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 Grandys surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grandys
Grandys 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,579 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,579 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 51 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 Grandys 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 | #149,395 | #149,446 | -0.0% |
| Count | 110 | 110 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grandys bearers went from 110 to 110 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #149,446.
FAQ
Grandys surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grandys?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Grandys. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Grandys?
Grandys ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Grandys. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Grandys.
Has Grandys become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grandys went from 110 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Grandys?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grandys, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Grandys in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grandys appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (2.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Grandys (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 Grandys mean?
A surname potentially derived from the French grand meaning "large" or "great." 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 Grandys (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 have the surname Grandys?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.