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

Gravelle, 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 Gravelle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gravelle in America

Gravelle is the 13646th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gravelle surname appeared 2,219 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 Gravelle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gravelle 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 Gravelle

The surname Gravelle originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "gravele," which means "gravel" or "small stones." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with gravel or small stones, such as a gravel worker or someone living near a gravelly area.

The earliest known record of the Gravelle surname dates back to the 13th century in the Normandy region of northern France. It is believed that the name spread to other parts of France and Europe during the Middle Ages due to migration and trade.

In the 14th century, the name Gravelle appeared in the Hundred Rolls, a census-like record of landowners in England during the reign of King Edward I. This suggests that individuals with the surname had already migrated to England by that time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gravelle was Jean Gravelle, who was born in Rouen, France, in the late 15th century. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.

During the 16th century, the Gravelle family played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants. Pierre Gravelle (1530-1598) was a Huguenot (French Protestant) leader who fought alongside Henry of Navarre, the future King Henry IV of France.

In the 17th century, Jacques Gravelle (1620-1678) was a French explorer and fur trader who traveled to North America and established trading posts in present-day Canada. He is considered one of the pioneers of the fur trade in the region.

Another notable figure with the Gravelle surname was Marie-Madeleine Gravelle (1745-1825), a French Catholic nun who founded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross. She dedicated her life to educating young girls and establishing schools in France and Belgium.

During the 19th century, the Gravelle surname spread to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada, due to immigration from France and other European countries. One example is William Gravelle (1818-1892), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gravelle

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

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

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

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