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

Gratton, 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 Gratton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gratton in America

Gratton is the 13588th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gratton surname appeared 2,231 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gratton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gratton 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 Gratton

The surname Gratton is believed to have originated in England, deriving from the Old English word "gretan," which means "to lament" or "to weep." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a melancholic or sorrowful disposition.

In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as "Greten" or "Greton," and it is found in various historical records dating back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which mention a "Robertus Greton" residing in Oxfordshire.

As the name evolved over time, it took on various spellings, including "Gratton," "Grattan," and "Gretton." These variations can be found in various medieval documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327, which list a "Johannes Greton" in Cambridgeshire.

The name Gratton has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Grattan (c. 1350 - 1427), an English knight who served under King Henry V during the Hundred Years' War. He was present at the famous Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and was later appointed as the Constable of Windsor Castle.

Another prominent figure was Henry Grattan (1746 - 1820), an Irish politician and orator who played a significant role in the Irish Patriot movement and the campaign for Irish legislative independence from Great Britain in the late 18th century.

In the literary world, Thomas Colley Grattan (1792 - 1864) was an Irish novelist and biographer known for works such as "Traits of Travel" and "Civilized America," which offered insights into American society during the early 19th century.

Moving to the realm of science, John Gratton (1857 - 1917) was a British astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of comet orbits.

Finally, one cannot overlook the legacy of Noel Gratton (1907 - 1988), a British Olympic rower who won a gold medal in the coxless fours event at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

While the surname Gratton may have originated from humble beginnings, it has been carried by individuals who have left their mark across various fields, from military service and politics to literature, science, and sports.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gratton

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

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

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

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