2000
#12,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Gravelle
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "gravel" or "sand."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,444 Americans carry the last name Gravelle. That puts it at #13,614 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,243 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gravelle 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 Gravelle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,243
Census rank
#13,614
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,131 bearers of the surname Gravelle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13614th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gravelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gravelle
Among Census respondents with the surname Gravelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gravelle 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 Gravelle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 1,891
- Two or more races4.2% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 24
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gravelle
Gravelle 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
#13,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,219
+56 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 651 places
2020
#13,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,131
-88 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,995 | 2,163 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,646 | 2,219 | 0.75 | +56 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 651 places |
| 2020 | #13,614 | 2,131 | 0.71 | -88 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 32 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 Gravelle 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 | #13,646 | #13,614 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,219 | 2,131 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.71 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gravelle bearers went from 2,219 to 2,131 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,646 to #13,614.
FAQ
Gravelle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gravelle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,444 living Americans carry the surname Gravelle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,243 residents.
How common is Gravelle?
Gravelle ranks #13,614 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,131 people with the surname Gravelle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,444), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Gravelle.
Has Gravelle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gravelle went from 2,219 recorded bearers to 2,131. That is a decrease of 88 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,646 to #13,614.
What does the Census say about the background of Gravelle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gravelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gravelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (1,891 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gravelle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gravelle (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 Gravelle mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "gravel" or "sand." 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 Gravelle (0.71 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 Americans have the surname Gravelle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.