2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grayston
A place name referring to someone living near a grayish-colored settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Grayston. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grayston 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 Grayston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Grayston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grayston, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grayston
The surname Grayston is of English origin, derived from a locational name from a place called Graystone or Greystone in various counties across England. The name likely originates from the Old English words "graeg" meaning grey and "stan" meaning stone, referring to a prominent grey stone or landmark in the area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Grayston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Greistan" in the county of Wiltshire. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 13th century, records show instances of the surname spelled as "de Greyston" and "de Grayston," indicating its use as a locational surname derived from a specific place. These early spellings suggest that the name was likely associated with landowners or people from the area known as Grayston.
Historical records from the 16th century mention notable individuals bearing the Grayston surname, including John Grayston (1518-1586), a prominent English merchant and landowner from Staffordshire. Another notable figure was Robert Grayston (1570-1644), a clergyman and author who served as the rector of Brixton in Devon.
In the 17th century, the Grayston surname appeared in various parish records across England, particularly in counties like Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Derbyshire. One notable individual from this period was William Grayston (1625-1690), a member of the English gentry and landowner in Yorkshire.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Grayston continued to be found in various records, with instances of individuals bearing the surname across different professions and social classes. One notable figure was Samuel Grayston (1735-1802), a prominent English clergyman and author from Buckinghamshire.
Throughout history, the Grayston surname has maintained a strong presence in various parts of England, with individuals contributing to various fields, including commerce, religion, literature, and landowner ship. While the name may have originated from a specific location, its prevalence across multiple counties suggests that it spread and became established in different regions over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grayston
Among Census respondents with the surname Grayston, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Grayston 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 Grayston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grayston
Grayston 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+7 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,208 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-9 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,230 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 2,208 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 5,230 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 Grayston 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 | #150,452 | #155,682 | -3.5% |
| Count | 109 | 100 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grayston bearers went from 109 to 100 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 5,230 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #155,682.
FAQ
Grayston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grayston?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Grayston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Grayston?
Grayston ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 100 people with the surname Grayston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Grayston.
Has Grayston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grayston went from 109 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Grayston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grayston, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Grayston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grayston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Grayston (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 Grayston mean?
A place name referring to someone living near a grayish-colored settlement. 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 Grayston (0.03 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 last name Grayston?
Want to know how many people have the last name Grayston? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.