2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gratrix
A surname derived from the Germanic personal name "Grat-ric", meaning "grace-powerful".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Gratrix. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gratrix 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 Gratrix with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Gratrix in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratrix, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gratrix
The surname Gratrix originates from England and is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "grēat" meaning great or large, and "risc" meaning a rush or reed, suggesting it may have initially referred to someone who lived near a large reed bed or marsh.
Early records of the name can be found in various parish registers and tax rolls from the 16th century onwards, with spellings varying slightly, such as Gretrix, Greatrish, and Gretriche. One of the earliest documented instances is in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1524, which lists a William Gratrix from the parish of Rochdale.
The Gratrix name appears to have been particularly concentrated in the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire, with many records indicating families residing in areas around Manchester, Oldham, and Stockport. In the 17th century, the name is found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Cheshire from 1674, suggesting a presence in that region during that time.
One notable individual bearing the Gratrix surname was John Gratrix (1730-1799), a prominent businessman and landowner from Oldham, Lancashire. He was involved in the textile industry and owned several mills, playing a significant role in the town's economic development during the Industrial Revolution.
Another individual of note was James Gratrix (1801-1876), a British engineer and inventor from Manchester. He is credited with several important innovations in the textile industry, including improvements to power looms and spinning machinery.
In the realm of literature, there was Elizabeth Gratrix (1837-1920), an English novelist and poet from Cheshire. She published several works of fiction and poetry during the Victorian era, including the novel "Alderley Grange" in 1876.
Moving into the 20th century, Sir William Gratrix (1888-1964) was a British businessman and philanthropist from Lancashire. He made his fortune in the textile industry and later became a prominent figure in local politics, serving as the Lord Mayor of Manchester from 1954 to 1955.
Finally, one cannot overlook John Gratrix (1928-2015), a renowned British architect and urban planner. He was instrumental in the redevelopment of several cities in the UK, including Manchester and Liverpool, during the post-war period, and his work had a significant impact on the reshaping of urban landscapes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gratrix
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratrix, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gratrix 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 Gratrix surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 103
- Two or more races6.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gratrix
Gratrix 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+18 bearers (+16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,551 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,822 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.4%) | Up 7,551 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 12,822 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 Gratrix 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 | #132,206 | #145,028 | -9.7% |
| Count | 128 | 116 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gratrix bearers went from 128 to 116 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 12,822 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #145,028.
FAQ
Gratrix surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gratrix?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Gratrix. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Gratrix?
Gratrix ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Gratrix. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Gratrix.
Has Gratrix become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gratrix went from 128 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Gratrix?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratrix, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Gratrix in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gratrix appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (6.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Gratrix (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 Gratrix mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic personal name "Grat-ric", meaning "grace-powerful". 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 Gratrix (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 many people have the last name Gratrix?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Gratrix at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.