2000
#13,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Gratton
An English occupational surname referring to a grower or seller of peas or a nickname for a stubborn person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,374 Americans carry the last name Gratton. That puts it at #13,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,378 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gratton 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 Gratton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,378
Census rank
#13,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,070 bearers of the surname Gratton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gratton
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gratton 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 Gratton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 1,753
- Black or African American7.1% · 147
- Two or more races4.2% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gratton
Gratton 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
#13,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,231
+123 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 311 places
2020
#13,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,070
-161 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,277 | 2,108 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,588 | 2,231 | 0.76 | +123 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 311 places |
| 2020 | #13,950 | 2,070 | 0.69 | -161 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 362 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 Gratton 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 | #13,588 | #13,950 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,231 | 2,070 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.69 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gratton bearers went from 2,231 to 2,070 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,588 to #13,950.
FAQ
Gratton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gratton?
Name Census estimates that about 2,374 living Americans carry the surname Gratton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,378 residents.
How common is Gratton?
Gratton ranks #13,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,070 people with the surname Gratton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gratton.
Has Gratton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gratton went from 2,231 recorded bearers to 2,070. That is a decrease of 161 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,588 to #13,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Gratton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratton, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Gratton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (1,753 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gratton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Gratton (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 Gratton mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a grower or seller of peas or a nickname for a stubborn person. 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 Gratton (0.69 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 are called Gratton?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Gratton at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.