2000
#2,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,173
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.14
Uncommon Last name
Gresham
Habitational surname derived from a place in Norfolk, England, meaning "grazing homestead" or "grass enclosure."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,316 Americans carry the last name Gresham. That puts it at #3,281 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,830 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gresham 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 Gresham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,830
Census rank
#3,281
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,740 bearers of the surname Gresham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3281st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gresham, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gresham
The surname Gresham originates from England and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "græs" meaning grass and "ham" meaning a homestead or settlement. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a grassy meadow or pasture.
The earliest known recording of the surname Gresham appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Gresham" and "Gresseham." This suggests the name was already established in various parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Many early instances of the Gresham surname can be traced back to the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia. There are several villages and parishes in these regions that bear the name Gresham, indicating the name's strong historical ties to the area.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Gresham surname was William de Gresham, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1199. Another notable figure was Sir John Gresham (c. 1495-1556), a wealthy merchant and financier who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1547.
Sir Thomas Gresham (c. 1519-1579), a prominent English merchant and financier, is perhaps the most famous historical bearer of the Gresham surname. He founded the Royal Exchange in London and played a crucial role in establishing England's financial system.
Other notable individuals with the Gresham surname include:
1. Reginald Gresham (c. 1520-1573), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. George Gresham (1569-1649), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.
3. Marmaduke Gresham (1603-1668), an English landowner and philanthropist who established the Gresham Almshouses in Norfolk.
4. Walter Gresham (1650-1718), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for the borough of Great Yarmouth.
5. Sir John Gresham (1747-1820), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
The Gresham surname has also given rise to various place names, such as Gresham in Norfolk and Gresham College in London, founded in 1597 on the instructions of Sir Thomas Gresham's will.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gresham
Among Census respondents with the surname Gresham, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gresham 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 Gresham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.4% · 6,267
- Black or African American33.6% · 3,608
- Two or more races4.2% · 455
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 310
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gresham
Gresham 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
#3,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,412
+239 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.87
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#3,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,740
-672 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 3.59
Rank movement Down 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,963 | 11,173 | 4.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,162 | 11,412 | 3.87 | +239 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #3,281 | 10,740 | 3.59 | -672 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 119 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 Gresham 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 | #3,162 | #3,281 | -3.8% |
| Count | 11,412 | 10,740 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.87 | 3.59 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gresham bearers went from 11,412 to 10,740 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,162 to #3,281.
FAQ
Gresham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gresham?
Name Census estimates that about 12,316 living Americans carry the surname Gresham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,830 residents.
How common is Gresham?
Gresham ranks #3,281 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,740 people with the surname Gresham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Gresham.
Has Gresham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gresham went from 11,412 recorded bearers to 10,740. That is a decrease of 672 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,162 to #3,281.
What does the Census say about the background of Gresham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gresham, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Gresham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.4% (6,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gresham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.4%), Black (33.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Gresham (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 Gresham mean?
Habitational surname derived from a place in Norfolk, England, meaning "grazing homestead" or "grass enclosure." 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 Gresham (3.59 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 common is the surname Gresham?
Find out how many people have the last name Gresham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.