2000
#99,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Grinston
A place surname derived from a location or town named Grinston.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 192 Americans carry the last name Grinston. That puts it at #111,996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,785,179 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grinston 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
192
1 in 1,785,179
Census rank
#111,996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
167
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 167 bearers of the surname Grinston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 111996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and White (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grinston
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and White (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grinston 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 Grinston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.8% · 150
- Two or more races4.8% · 8
- White1.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grinston
Grinston 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
-8 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,561 places
2020
#111,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
+7 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 1,710 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,725 | 168 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | -8 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 10,561 places |
| 2020 | #111,996 | 167 | 0.06 | +7 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 1,710 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 Grinston 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 | #110,286 | #111,996 | -1.6% |
| Count | 160 | 167 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grinston bearers went from 160 to 167 (+4.4% change). The surname moved down 1,710 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #111,996.
FAQ
Grinston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grinston?
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the surname Grinston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,785,179 residents.
How common is Grinston?
Grinston ranks #111,996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 167 people with the surname Grinston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (192), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Grinston.
Has Grinston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grinston went from 160 recorded bearers to 167. That is an increase of 7 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,286 to #111,996.
What does the Census say about the background of Grinston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and White (1.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grinston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grinston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%), White (1.8%). 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 Grinston (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 Grinston mean?
A place surname derived from a location or town named Grinston. 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 Grinston (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Grinston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.