Find out how popular the last name Granger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Granger.

Granger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Granger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Granger in America

Granger is the 2055th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Granger surname appeared 17,539 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Granger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Granger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Granger

The surname Granger has its origins in medieval France, deriving from the Old French word 'grainger', which meant a keeper of granaries or farms. The name likely emerged during the 12th or 13th century in northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Granger appears in the Cartulary of Bayeux in 1180, where a certain Radulfus Granger is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the late 12th century.

Over time, the name spread across other parts of France and eventually made its way to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Domesday Book of 1086 does not contain any direct references to the Granger surname, but it does mention several places with names derived from the Old French word 'grainger', indicating the presence of granaries or farms in those areas.

One notable early bearer of the Granger name was Sir Thomas Granger (c. 1320-1380), a prominent English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles for his valor and military exploits.

Another influential figure was Gaspard Granger (1615-1694), a French Benedictine monk and scholar who compiled one of the earliest comprehensive bibliographies of religious literature, titled "Bibliotheca Regularis."

In the 18th century, James Granger (1723-1776) was an English writer and biographer best known for his influential work "A Biographical History of England", which contained engraved portraits and biographies of notable figures throughout English history.

During the 19th century, the surname Granger was borne by several prominent individuals, including Gordon Granger (1825-1876), a Union Army general during the American Civil War, and Gideon Granger (1767-1822), an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Postmaster General under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

The Granger surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria, England, and Grangemouth in Scotland, both of which derive from the Old French word 'grainger' and reflect the agricultural roots of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Granger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Granger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Granger was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Granger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Granger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Granger, please contact us.

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