2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grille
A surname derived from the French word meaning "grill" or "lattice".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Grille. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grille 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Grille in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grille, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grille
The surname GRILLE is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "grille" meaning "grill" or "grating." It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for someone who made or worked with grills or gratings, possibly a metalworker or blacksmith.
The name can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of France, particularly in the northern and central areas. It is found in early records and documents from that period, although the spelling may have varied slightly, such as "Grile" or "Grylle."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GRILLE is in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a collection of charters and documents from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in an entry from 1187, referring to a certain "Robertus Grille."
Another notable early reference is found in the Registres de l'Échiquier de Normandie, a series of records from the Exchequer of Normandy, where the name "Guillaume Grille" is mentioned in an entry from 1198.
In the 13th century, the name GRILLE appeared in various regions of France, including Paris, Burgundy, and Champagne. One prominent figure from this period was Jean Grille, a merchant and landowner from Troyes, who lived in the late 13th century.
As the name spread across France, it also found its way into other regions and countries, often due to migration and trade. By the 15th century, the GRILLE surname had made its way into England, where it was recorded in various forms such as "Grill" and "Gryll."
One notable English bearer of the name was John Grill, a merchant and alderman of London, who lived in the late 15th century and was recorded in the City of London Records from 1482.
In the 16th century, the name GRILLE continued to be found in various parts of Europe, including France, England, and the Low Countries. One prominent figure from this period was Pieter Grill, a Dutch painter and engraver, who was born in Antwerp around 1550 and is known for his religious and mythological works.
By the 17th century, the GRILLE surname had spread further across Europe and beyond, carried by individuals and families who migrated or established trade routes. Among the notable bearers of the name from this period was Gaspard Grille, a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada in the 1650s and worked among the Huron and Iroquois peoples.
These are just a few examples of the historical presence and notable individuals associated with the surname GRILLE. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France, the name has a rich and diverse history, spanning multiple centuries and regions across Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grille
Among Census respondents with the surname Grille, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grille 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 Grille surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino30.2% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grille
Grille 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+7 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,401 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 2,401 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 192 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 Grille 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 | #145,220 | #145,028 | 0.1% |
| Count | 114 | 116 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grille bearers went from 114 to 116 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #145,028.
FAQ
Grille surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grille?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Grille. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Grille?
Grille ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Grille. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Grille.
Has Grille become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grille went from 114 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Grille?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grille, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Grille in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (77 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grille appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Hispanic (30.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Grille (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 Grille mean?
A surname derived from the French word meaning "grill" or "lattice". 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 Grille (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 Grille?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Grille on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.