2000
#3,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.76
Uncommon Last name
Grantham
A locational surname referring to a person from Grantham, a town in Lincolnshire, England, derived from Old English elements.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,562 Americans carry the last name Grantham. That puts it at #3,459 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,645 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grantham 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 Grantham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,645
Census rank
#3,459
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,083 bearers of the surname Grantham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3459th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grantham, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grantham
Among Census respondents with the surname Grantham, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Grantham 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 Grantham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 8,385
- Black or African American8.1% · 814
- Two or more races4.1% · 410
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 352
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grantham
Grantham 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
#3,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,379
+240 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 3.52
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#3,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,083
-296 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.37
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,238 | 10,139 | 3.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,440 | 10,379 | 3.52 | +240 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #3,459 | 10,083 | 3.37 | -296 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 19 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 Grantham 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 | #3,440 | #3,459 | -0.6% |
| Count | 10,379 | 10,083 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.52 | 3.37 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grantham bearers went from 10,379 to 10,083 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,440 to #3,459.
FAQ
Grantham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grantham?
Name Census estimates that about 11,562 living Americans carry the surname Grantham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,645 residents.
How common is Grantham?
Grantham ranks #3,459 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,083 people with the surname Grantham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,562), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Grantham.
Has Grantham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grantham went from 10,379 recorded bearers to 10,083. That is a decrease of 296 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,440 to #3,459.
What does the Census say about the background of Grantham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grantham, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Grantham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (8,385 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grantham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Grantham (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 Grantham mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from Grantham, a town in Lincolnshire, England, derived from Old English elements. 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 Grantham (3.37 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 Grantham?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.