Find out how popular the last name Grile is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Grile.

Grile, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Grile surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grile in America

Grile is the 97210th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grile surname appeared 187 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Grile.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grile to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Grile

The surname GRILE has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. Derived from the Old English word "grile," meaning "to tremble or shudder," it was likely a descriptive nickname for someone with a nervous or jittery demeanor.

The earliest known record of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a census-like survey conducted in 1279, where it is spelled as "Grile." This suggests that the surname was already well-established by the late 13th century in the English countryside.

In the 14th century, the name was found in various forms, such as "Grylle" and "Grylle," as witnessed in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dated 1317. These variations highlight the fluidity of spelling during the medieval period.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Grile, a wealthy landowner and knight who lived in Somerset during the late 15th century (c. 1450-1520). He was known for his military service under King Henry VII and was awarded several manors for his loyalty.

The GRILE surname also has ties to various place names in England. For instance, the village of Grylle in Worcestershire was once home to a family bearing this name, as recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327.

In the 16th century, the surname appeared in the form of "Gryll" in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Chelmsford, Essex, where a William Gryll was baptized in 1587.

Another notable figure was Thomas Grile (1572-1645), a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. He was involved in the cloth trade and served as Mayor of Bristol in 1625.

The GRILE surname continued to be found throughout England in the following centuries, with bearers such as Elizabeth Grile (1698-1771), a landowner from Dorset, and John Grile (1732-1802), a clergyman and rector of St. Peter's Church in Northamptonshire.

While the surname has remained relatively uncommon, it has persisted through the centuries, with various spellings and bearers scattered across different regions of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grile

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Grile.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Grile was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Grile has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Grile was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Grile, please contact us.

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