2000
#9,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Granillo
A Spanish surname derived from the word "grano," meaning "grain," likely referring to an occupation involving grains or seeds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,510 Americans carry the last name Granillo. That puts it at #8,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,999 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Granillo 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
4.5K
1 in 75,999
Census rank
#8,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,933 bearers of the surname Granillo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Granillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Granillo
The surname Granillo is of Spanish origin, originating in the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "granillo," which means "small grain" or "seed." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who worked with grains or seeds, such as a farmer or a miller.
The name first appeared in records from the region of Andalusia in southern Spain, particularly in the provinces of Seville and Cadiz. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in parish records and census documents from the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the late 15th century, a notable figure named Juan Granillo was recorded as a soldier in the Spanish conquest of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold on the Iberian Peninsula. This historical reference suggests that the Granillo name had already established itself as a surname by that time.
Another early record of the name is found in the archives of the Spanish Inquisition, where a man named Diego Granillo was mentioned in a document from 1567, accused of practicing Judaism in secret. This provides insight into the religious persecution faced by conversos (converted Jews) during the Inquisition.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Granillo name spread across the Americas. One notable individual was Pedro Granillo, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named María Granillo y Guzmán was a renowned writer and poet from Lima, Peru, known for her contributions to the literary movement of the Spanish Golden Age.
During the 19th century, José Granillo was a prominent political figure in Mexico, serving as a governor of the state of Veracruz from 1851 to 1855.
While the Granillo surname is predominantly found in Spain and Latin American countries, it has also been documented in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula, where it originated as a descriptive surname related to grains and seeds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Granillo
Among Census respondents with the surname Granillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Granillo 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 Granillo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.1% · 3,584
- White6.1% · 238
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 59
- Two or more races0.8% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
- Black or African American0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Granillo
Granillo 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
#8,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,058
+759 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 937 places
2020
#8,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,933
-125 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,105 | 3,299 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,168 | 4,058 | 1.38 | +759 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 937 places |
| 2020 | #8,071 | 3,933 | 1.32 | -125 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 97 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 Granillo 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 | #8,168 | #8,071 | 1.2% |
| Count | 4,058 | 3,933 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.32 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Granillo bearers went from 4,058 to 3,933 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,168 to #8,071.
FAQ
Granillo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Granillo?
Name Census estimates that about 4,510 living Americans carry the surname Granillo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,999 residents.
How common is Granillo?
Granillo ranks #8,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,933 people with the surname Granillo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,510), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Granillo.
Has Granillo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Granillo went from 4,058 recorded bearers to 3,933. That is a decrease of 125 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,168 to #8,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Granillo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Granillo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (6.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Granillo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (3,584 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Granillo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.1%), White (6.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.5%). 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 Granillo (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 Granillo mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "grano," meaning "grain," likely referring to an occupation involving grains or seeds. 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 Granillo (1.32 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 share the surname Granillo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.