2000
#8,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,459
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Grinnell
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "green hill" in Old French or Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,750 Americans carry the last name Grinnell. That puts it at #9,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grinnell 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 Grinnell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 91,401
Census rank
#9,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,270 bearers of the surname Grinnell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grinnell
The surname Grinnell is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "grene" and "hyll," meaning "green hill." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a verdant hilltop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Grinnell name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Grenehill" in Oxfordshire. Over time, this spelling evolved into various forms, including Grenehyll, Grenhill, and eventually Grinnell.
During the 13th century, the name Grinnell appeared in several historical records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire and the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire. These documents mention individuals like Robert de Grenehull (1230) and William de Grenhill (1279).
In the 14th century, the Grinnell surname began to spread beyond its initial location. The Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire from 1327 list a John de Grenehull, while the Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 mention a John Grenhill in Nottinghamshire.
Some notable individuals bearing the Grinnell surname throughout history include:
1. John Grennell (c. 1490 - 1560), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Stafford.
2. Matthew Grinnell (1595 - 1648), a Puritan colonist who helped establish the settlement of Newport, Rhode Island, in 1638.
3. Joseph Grinnell (1788 - 1885), an American merchant and philanthropist who co-founded the Grinnell College in Iowa.
4. George Bird Grinnell (1849 - 1938), an American anthropologist, naturalist, and writer, known for his efforts in conserving the American bison.
5. Millie Grinnell (1898 - 1964), an American Broadway actress and singer who appeared in various musicals and revues during the 1920s and 1930s.
The Grinnell name has also been associated with several place names in the United States, such as Grinnell, Iowa, and Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grinnell
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Grinnell 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 Grinnell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 2,754
- Black or African American4.9% · 159
- Two or more races4.0% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.1% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grinnell
Grinnell 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
#9,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,615
+156 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 292 places
2020
#9,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,270
-345 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,746 | 3,459 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,038 | 3,615 | 1.23 | +156 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 292 places |
| 2020 | #9,512 | 3,270 | 1.09 | -345 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 474 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 Grinnell 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 | #9,038 | #9,512 | -5.2% |
| Count | 3,615 | 3,270 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.09 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grinnell bearers went from 3,615 to 3,270 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 474 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,038 to #9,512.
FAQ
Grinnell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grinnell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,750 living Americans carry the surname Grinnell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,401 residents.
How common is Grinnell?
Grinnell ranks #9,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,270 people with the surname Grinnell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,750), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Grinnell.
Has Grinnell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grinnell went from 3,615 recorded bearers to 3,270. That is a decrease of 345 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,038 to #9,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Grinnell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinnell, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Grinnell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (2,754 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grinnell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (4.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Grinnell (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 Grinnell mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "green hill" in Old French or Old English. 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 Grinnell (1.09 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 Grinnell?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Grinnell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.