2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grenet
A habitational surname derived from the French place name meaning "little granary".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Grenet. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grenet 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Grenet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grenet, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.0%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grenet
The surname GRENET originated in France, specifically in the region of Normandy, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "grenet," which means "grange" or "granary." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked in a granary or barn.
In the Domesday Book, a famous medieval manuscript recording landowners in England after the Norman Conquest, there are several entries for individuals with the surname GRENET or similar spellings, such as Grenete and Grenett. This indicates that the name was present in England as early as the 11th century, likely brought over by Norman settlers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GRENET can be found in the Cartulary of the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the famous abbey in Normandy. In this cartulary, a certain Guillaume GRENET is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the early 12th century.
Another notable historical figure bearing the GRENET surname was Jean GRENET, a French scholar and theologian born in the late 14th century (around 1380). He was a professor at the University of Paris and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 15th century, there was a prominent family in the Burgundian Netherlands with the surname GRENET. One member, Jacques GRENET (c. 1420-1491), served as a diplomat and counselor to several dukes of Burgundy.
During the Renaissance period, a French poet named Claude GRENET (c. 1520-1592) gained recognition for his works in the French Renaissance style. He was a member of the famous literary circle known as the Pléiade, led by Pierre de Ronsard.
In the 17th century, a French historian and theologian named Jean GRENET (1620-1699) wrote extensively on the history of the Catholic Church and the lives of saints. His most notable work was a multi-volume compilation titled "Vies des Saints" (Lives of the Saints).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grenet
Among Census respondents with the surname Grenet, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.0%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grenet 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 Grenet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino25.0% · 27
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grenet
Grenet 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+16 bearers (+15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,104 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,795 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 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.7%) | Up 7,104 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,795 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 Grenet 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 | #141,140 | #150,935 | -6.9% |
| Count | 118 | 108 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grenet bearers went from 118 to 108 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,795 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #150,935.
FAQ
Grenet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grenet?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Grenet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Grenet?
Grenet ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Grenet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Grenet.
Has Grenet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grenet went from 118 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Grenet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grenet, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.0%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Grenet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grenet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Hispanic (25.0%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Grenet (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 Grenet mean?
A habitational surname derived from the French place name meaning "little granary". 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 Grenet (0.04 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 are called Grenet?
See how many people are called Grenet on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.