2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gratias
A surname derived from the Latin word for "thanks", possibly given to someone with a grateful disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Gratias. 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 Gratias 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 Gratias 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 Gratias, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gratias
The surname Gratias has its origins in Italy, where it can be traced back to the late medieval period. The name is derived from the Latin word "gratia," meaning grace or favor. It is believed to have been initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who possessed a graceful or charming demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the Gratias surname can be found in Italian municipal records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is Guglielmo Gratias, a merchant from Genoa who lived in the early 1300s and was mentioned in a trade document.
In the 15th century, the Gratias family gained prominence in the city of Florence, where they were involved in the textile trade. The most famous member of this lineage was Tommaso Gratias (1453-1521), a wealthy banker and patron of the arts who commissioned works from renowned artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo.
As the Gratias name spread across Italy, it also evolved into various regional spellings like Grazia, Grazie, and Graziano. In the 16th century, the name appeared in records from the Venetian Republic, where a notable figure was Alvise Gratias (1512-1587), a successful merchant and diplomat.
In the 17th century, the Gratias surname made its way to other European countries, including Spain and France. One notable bearer of the name was Juan Gratias (1623-1689), a Spanish military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War.
During the 19th century, the Gratias name gained some recognition in the arts and sciences. Giuseppe Gratias (1814-1891) was an Italian painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes, while Antonio Gratias (1836-1912) was a renowned Italian botanist and horticulturist.
As the Gratias surname spread around the globe, it was also adopted by families of different ethnic backgrounds, leading to variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its Italian roots and connection to the concept of grace have remained an integral part of its history and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gratias
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratias, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gratias 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 Gratias surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gratias
Gratias 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,220 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-6 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,297 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,220 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 6,297 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 Gratias 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 | #143,149 | #149,446 | -4.4% |
| Count | 116 | 110 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gratias bearers went from 116 to 110 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 6,297 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #149,446.
FAQ
Gratias surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gratias?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Gratias. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Gratias?
Gratias 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 Gratias. 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 Gratias.
Has Gratias become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gratias went from 116 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Gratias?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratias, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Gratias in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gratias appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%), Two or More Races (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 Gratias (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 Gratias mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word for "thanks", possibly given to someone with a grateful disposition. 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 Gratias (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 common is the surname Gratias?
If you just want to know how many people are called Gratias, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.