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

Grinston, 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 Grinston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grinston in America

Grinston is the 110286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grinston surname appeared 160 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 Grinston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grinston 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 Grinston

The surname Grinston has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "grene" meaning green and "tun" meaning settlement or enclosure, suggesting it was initially a place name referring to a green or grassy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Greneston." This suggests that the name was initially spelled with an "e" instead of an "i" in the first syllable.

By the 14th century, variations of the spelling had emerged, such as "Grenston" and "Grynston," as evidenced by entries in the Court Rolls of the County of Buckingham from 1347.

The Grinston surname is closely tied to the village of Grinton in Yorkshire, which was recorded as "Grentone" in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is likely that the surname originated from this location, as it was common for people to adopt the name of the place they lived or came from.

One notable bearer of the Grinston name was John Grinston, a renowned English clockmaker who lived from 1640 to 1718. He was responsible for creating some of the most intricate and accurate clocks of his time, and his work can be found in various museums and private collections.

Another significant figure was Sir William Grinston (1585-1656), a member of the English gentry who served as a member of parliament for the county of Somerset during the reign of King Charles I.

In the 18th century, the Grinston family had a presence in the city of Bristol, where Thomas Grinston (1728-1798) was a prominent merchant and served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1782.

During the 19th century, the surname spread further afield, with records indicating Grinstons living in various parts of England, as well as in the United States and Canada.

One notable individual from this period was James Grinston (1816-1892), a British explorer and naturalist who undertook expeditions to South America and the Arctic regions, contributing significantly to the field of natural history.

Throughout its history, the Grinston surname has maintained a strong connection to its English roots, with many bearers tracing their lineage back to the original green settlements that gave rise to the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grinston

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

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 Grinston 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 Grinston 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 Grinston was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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