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

Grantham, 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 Grantham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grantham in America

Grantham is the 3440th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grantham surname appeared 10,379 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Grantham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grantham 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 Grantham

The surname Grantham originated in England in the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire. The name itself is derived from the Old English words "gran" meaning grain and "ham" meaning homestead or settlement, essentially describing a homestead where grain was grown.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Grantham can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented the manor of Grantham held by the King. The first recorded spelling of the surname itself is believed to be that of William de Grantham, who was documented in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176.

The Grantham family played a significant role in the history of Lincolnshire, with several notable members. One of the earliest was Sir Thomas Grantham (c. 1300 - c. 1370), a knight and landowner who served as Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1350. Another notable figure was Sir William Grantham (c. 1535 - 1612), a member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London in 1592.

During the English Civil War, the name Grantham was associated with the Parliamentarian cause. Captain Thomas Grantham (c. 1610 - 1692) was a prominent military leader who fought for the Parliamentarians and later served as a member of the Council of State under Oliver Cromwell.

In the 18th century, Thomas Grantham (1683 - 1756) was a renowned mathematician and author of several influential works on navigation and gunnery. His son, Thomas Grantham (1713 - 1774), followed in his footsteps as a mathematician and was also a noted author on navigation and astronomy.

Another notable figure was Sir Fletcher Norton Grantham (1734 - 1789), a British politician and lawyer who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1770 to 1789. He played a significant role in the debates surrounding the American Revolution and the constitutional relationship between Britain and its colonies.

The surname Grantham has also been associated with various places, such as the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, which has been called "the Gateway to the East Midlands." Other places with variations of the name include Grantham Creek in Georgia, USA, and Grantham Township in Ontario, Canada.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grantham

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

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 Grantham 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 Grantham 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 Grantham was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!