2000
#17,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,486
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Grayer
An English surname derived from the Old French word "gris" meaning gray or gray-haired.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,021 Americans carry the last name Grayer. That puts it at #15,910 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 169,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grayer 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 Grayer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 169,596
Census rank
#15,910
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,762 bearers of the surname Grayer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15910th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grayer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grayer
The surname GRAYER is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "graeg" or "gragg," meaning gray-haired or gray. It is believed to have originated in the 8th or 9th century, initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with gray hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gregorius Graegge." This entry suggests that the name had already been established in England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the surname GRAYER was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where it was often associated with families of landowners or farmers. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries show variations in spelling, such as "Grayre," "Graier," and "Greyere."
Notable individuals with the surname GRAYER include Sir Thomas Grayer (c. 1460-1516), a prominent English politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. Another was John Grayer (1586-1654), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
In the 17th century, the GRAYER surname can be found in records from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, indicating that some individuals with this name were among the early Puritan settlers in New England. One such individual was Edward Grayer (c. 1620-1688), who was granted land in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1642.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the GRAYER surname spread to other parts of the United States and Canada, with several notable individuals bearing the name. These include James Grayer (1767-1841), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and William Grayer (1811-1892), a Canadian merchant and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.
Other notable individuals with the surname GRAYER include the British author and journalist George Grayer (1856-1933), known for his works on history and travel, and the American educator and civil rights activist Ella Grayer (1895-1977), who played a significant role in the desegregation of schools in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grayer
Among Census respondents with the surname Grayer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Grayer 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 Grayer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.0% · 1,428
- White9.4% · 166
- Two or more races5.4% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grayer
Grayer 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
#16,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,811
+325 bearers (+21.9%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 1,461 places
2020
#15,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,762
-49 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,483 | 1,486 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,022 | 1,811 | 0.61 | +325 bearers (+21.9%) | Up 1,461 places |
| 2020 | #15,910 | 1,762 | 0.59 | -49 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 112 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 Grayer 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 | #16,022 | #15,910 | 0.7% |
| Count | 1,811 | 1,762 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.59 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grayer bearers went from 1,811 to 1,762 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,022 to #15,910.
FAQ
Grayer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grayer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,021 living Americans carry the surname Grayer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 169,596 residents.
How common is Grayer?
Grayer ranks #15,910 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,762 people with the surname Grayer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,021), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Grayer.
Has Grayer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grayer went from 1,811 recorded bearers to 1,762. That is a decrease of 49 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,022 to #15,910.
What does the Census say about the background of Grayer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grayer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grayer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (1,428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grayer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.0%), White (9.4%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Grayer (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 Grayer mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "gris" meaning gray or gray-haired. 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 Grayer (0.59 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 Grayer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.