2000
#10,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,964
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Grindle
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "green valley" or "green hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,231 Americans carry the last name Grindle. That puts it at #10,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grindle 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 Grindle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,083
Census rank
#10,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,818 bearers of the surname Grindle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grindle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grindle
The surname Grindle has its origins in England, deriving from an old Anglo-Saxon dialect word meaning "gravel pit" or "gravel bank". It is believed to have first emerged as a surname in the 12th or 13th century, referring to someone who lived near or worked at a gravel pit.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grindle can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where a person named Willelmus de la Grindel is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have originally been spelled as "Grindel" before evolving into its current form.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from different parts of England, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a certain John del Gryndyll is mentioned in 1317. This spelling variation, "Gryndyll", further highlights the evolution of the name over time.
The Grindle surname is also connected to various place names in England, such as Grindle Green in Shropshire and Grindle Farm in Devon. These place names likely originated from the same root word as the surname, further cementing its connection to gravel pits or gravel banks.
One notable historical figure bearing the Grindle surname was William Grindle, a 16th-century English poet and playwright who lived from around 1545 to 1617. Although not much is known about his life, some of his works have survived, including a play called "The Miseries of Enforced Marriage".
Another notable Grindle was John Grindle, a 17th-century English merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Plymouth in 1687. He was involved in the trade of various goods, including wine and textiles, and played an active role in the local government of Plymouth.
In the 18th century, Samuel Grindle, a British naval officer, gained recognition for his service in the Royal Navy. He was born in 1723 and served during the Seven Years' War, participating in several notable battles and expeditions.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Reverend William Grindle, an English clergyman and author who lived from 1821 to 1887. He published several works on religious topics and served as a minister in various parishes throughout his career.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Arthur Grindle, a British engineer and inventor, made significant contributions to the field of aviation. Born in 1887, he was involved in the development of early aircraft designs and held several patents related to aeronautical engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grindle
Among Census respondents with the surname Grindle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grindle 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 Grindle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 2,519
- Two or more races4.0% · 113
- Black or African American2.8% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grindle
Grindle 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
#10,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,046
+82 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 500 places
2020
#10,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,818
-228 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 276 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,031 | 2,964 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,531 | 3,046 | 1.03 | +82 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 500 places |
| 2020 | #10,807 | 2,818 | 0.94 | -228 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 276 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 Grindle 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 | #10,531 | #10,807 | -2.6% |
| Count | 3,046 | 2,818 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.94 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grindle bearers went from 3,046 to 2,818 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 276 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,531 to #10,807.
FAQ
Grindle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grindle?
Name Census estimates that about 3,231 living Americans carry the surname Grindle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,083 residents.
How common is Grindle?
Grindle ranks #10,807 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,818 people with the surname Grindle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,231), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Grindle.
Has Grindle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grindle went from 3,046 recorded bearers to 2,818. That is a decrease of 228 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,531 to #10,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Grindle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grindle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (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 Grindle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,519 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grindle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Black (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 Grindle (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 Grindle mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "green valley" or "green hill." 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 Grindle (0.94 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 Grindle?
You can see how many people are called Grindle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.