2000
#15,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Gridley
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "green meadow" or "glade."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,061 Americans carry the last name Gridley. That puts it at #15,648 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gridley 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 Gridley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,305
Census rank
#15,648
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,797 bearers of the surname Gridley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15648th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gridley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gridley
The surname Gridley is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "gredian," which means "to cry" or "to shout." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for a town crier or herald.
The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1199, where it is spelled "Gredley." This indicates that the name was likely established in the East Midlands region of England during the medieval period.
In the 13th century, the name is found in various records with different spellings, such as "Gredley," "Grydley," and "Grydeleye." These variations reflect the evolution of the name over time and the influence of different regional dialects.
The name Gridley is also associated with several place names in England, such as Gridley in Staffordshire, which was recorded as "Gridelei" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This suggests that the surname may have originated from a place name in some cases.
One notable bearer of the name was Richard Gridley (1711-1796), an American engineer and artillery officer who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was responsible for fortifying Breed's Hill and directing the artillery during the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.
Another significant figure with the surname Gridley was Asahel Gridley (1810-1881), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 13th Attorney General of Ohio from 1859 to 1861.
In the 19th century, the name Gridley gained prominence with the birth of Charles Vernon Gridley (1844-1898), a United States Navy officer who played a crucial role in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions.
Richard Gridley (1867-1950), an American architect, was also a notable bearer of the name. He designed several prominent buildings in Washington, D.C., including the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the Hay-Adams Hotel.
Lastly, Erwin Gridley (1904-1980), an American engineer and inventor, made significant contributions to the development of aircraft landing gear systems and is considered a pioneer in his field.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gridley
Among Census respondents with the surname Gridley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gridley 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 Gridley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 1,624
- Two or more races4.0% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 51
- Black or African American1.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gridley
Gridley 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
#15,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,891
+94 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 422 places
2020
#15,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
-94 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,061 | 1,797 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,483 | 1,891 | 0.64 | +94 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 422 places |
| 2020 | #15,648 | 1,797 | 0.60 | -94 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 165 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 Gridley 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 | #15,483 | #15,648 | -1.1% |
| Count | 1,891 | 1,797 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.60 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gridley bearers went from 1,891 to 1,797 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 165 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,483 to #15,648.
FAQ
Gridley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gridley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,061 living Americans carry the surname Gridley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,305 residents.
How common is Gridley?
Gridley ranks #15,648 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,797 people with the surname Gridley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Gridley.
Has Gridley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gridley went from 1,891 recorded bearers to 1,797. That is a decrease of 94 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,483 to #15,648.
What does the Census say about the background of Gridley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gridley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Gridley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (1,624 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gridley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Gridley (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 Gridley mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "green meadow" or "glade." 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 Gridley (0.60 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 Gridley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.