2000
#9,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,050
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Gravely
Derived from a place name or a nickname for a serious or solemn person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,350 Americans carry the last name Gravely. That puts it at #10,482 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,315 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gravely 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.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 102,315
Census rank
#10,482
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,921 bearers of the surname Gravely in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10482nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gravely, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gravely
The surname Gravely is of English origin, deriving from the Old English term "graeflic" which translates to "greedy" or "covetous." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone perceived as excessively greedy or acquisitive.
The earliest recorded instances of the Gravely surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire from the late 13th century, where it appears as "Gravelee." Similar spellings like "Graveley" and "Gravaley" were also documented in various medieval records across regions like Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, the village of Graveley in Hertfordshire is mentioned, suggesting a potential link between the surname and this place name. It's possible that some bearers of the Gravely name may have derived their surname from this location.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the Gravely surname include John Gravely (c. 1590-1670), an English Puritan clergyman and writer who authored several religious works during the 17th century. Another prominent figure was Sir Henry Gravely (1698-1762), a British military officer who served in the Wars of the Austrian Succession.
In the realm of literature, Thomas Gravely (1767-1835) was an English poet and playwright whose works were published in the early 19th century. Meanwhile, Charles Gravely (1855-1921) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of the Gravely Tractor Company, which became a leading manufacturer of lawn and garden equipment.
More recently, William Gravely (1905-1988) was an American artist and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes, particularly in the American South. His paintings and illustrations captured the essence of Southern culture and traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gravely
Among Census respondents with the surname Gravely, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gravely 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 Gravely surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.9% · 1,661
- Black or African American34.9% · 1,019
- Two or more races5.2% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gravely
Gravely 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
#10,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,187
+137 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 325 places
2020
#10,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,921
-266 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 375 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,782 | 3,050 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,107 | 3,187 | 1.08 | +137 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 325 places |
| 2020 | #10,482 | 2,921 | 0.98 | -266 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 375 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 Gravely 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 | #10,107 | #10,482 | -3.7% |
| Count | 3,187 | 2,921 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.98 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gravely bearers went from 3,187 to 2,921 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 375 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,107 to #10,482.
FAQ
Gravely surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gravely?
Name Census estimates that about 3,350 living Americans carry the surname Gravely. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,315 residents.
How common is Gravely?
Gravely ranks #10,482 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,921 people with the surname Gravely. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,350), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Gravely.
Has Gravely become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gravely went from 3,187 recorded bearers to 2,921. That is a decrease of 266 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,107 to #10,482.
What does the Census say about the background of Gravely?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gravely, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Gravely in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.9% (1,661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gravely appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.9%), Black (34.9%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Gravely (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 Gravely mean?
Derived from a place name or a nickname for a serious or solemn 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 Gravely (0.98 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 surname Gravely?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.