2000
#3,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,483
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.14
Rare Last name
Grice
An English occupational surname for someone who sold various items or worked as a servant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,929 Americans carry the last name Grice. That puts it at #3,975 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,521 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grice 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 Grice with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,521
Census rank
#3,975
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,659 bearers of the surname Grice in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3975th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grice, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grice
The surname Grice originated in the north of England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old Norse word "grís" meaning a young pig or piglet. It is believed to have been an occupational name given to those who raised and tended to pigs, likely on a farm or small holding.
The earliest known record of the name Grice appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where one Richard Grice is listed. In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273 also mention a Hugo Griz, using the older spelling variant.
During the 14th century, the surname Grice began appearing more frequently in various records across northern England, particularly in areas like Lancashire and Yorkshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332 list a John del Gryse, showcasing the locative prefix "del" which was common at the time.
Over time, the name Grice became associated with various place names in the region, such as Grice Huish in Devon and Grizedale in Lancashire. The latter likely derived from the Old Norse "gríss-dalr" meaning "valley of the young pigs".
Notable individuals bearing the surname Grice throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Grice (c.1558-1628), an English merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1618.
2. John Grice (c.1580-1657), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.
3. Nathaniel Grice (1648-1720), an English non-conformist minister and writer known for his work "A Rich Cabinet with Variety of Inventions".
4. John Grice (1723-1797), an English portrait painter and member of the Royal Academy.
5. Joseph Grice (1793-1863), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London.
While the surname Grice is of English origin, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. However, its roots can be traced back to the northern counties of England, where it was once a common occupational surname connected to the raising of pigs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grice
Among Census respondents with the surname Grice, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Grice 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 Grice surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.2% · 5,556
- Black or African American28.5% · 2,465
- Two or more races3.6% · 310
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 259
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grice
Grice 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
#3,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,914
+431 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 3.02
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#3,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,659
-255 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,846 | 8,483 | 3.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,984 | 8,914 | 3.02 | +431 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #3,975 | 8,659 | 2.90 | -255 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 9 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 Grice 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 | #3,984 | #3,975 | 0.2% |
| Count | 8,914 | 8,659 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.02 | 2.90 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grice bearers went from 8,914 to 8,659 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,984 to #3,975.
FAQ
Grice surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grice?
Name Census estimates that about 9,929 living Americans carry the surname Grice. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,521 residents.
How common is Grice?
Grice ranks #3,975 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,659 people with the surname Grice. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Grice.
Has Grice become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grice went from 8,914 recorded bearers to 8,659. That is a decrease of 255 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,984 to #3,975.
What does the Census say about the background of Grice?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grice, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.2%. The next largest groups are Black (28.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Grice in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.2% (5,556 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grice appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.2%), Black (28.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Grice (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 Grice mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who sold various items or worked as a servant. 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 Grice (2.90 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 Grice?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.