2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gris
A surname derived from the French word "gris" meaning gray.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Gris. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gris 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Gris in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gris, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.3%) and Black (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gris
The surname GRIS originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "gris," meaning "gray" or "grey." This name likely referred to someone with gray hair or a grayish complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the name GRIS can be found in various French records and documents dating back to the 12th century. One notable example is Raoul Gris, a knight mentioned in the Chanson de Roland, an Old French epic poem from the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name GRIS appeared in the Livre des Métiers, a register of trades and professions in Paris. This suggests that individuals with the surname GRIS may have been involved in various crafts or trades during that time.
The GRIS name has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest was Jean Gris, a French architect who lived in the 14th century and is known for his work on the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris.
In the 15th century, Guillaume Gris was a prominent French painter and illuminator of manuscripts. His work can be found in several illuminated manuscripts from that period, including the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.
During the 16th century, Jacques Gris (1585-1655) was a French jurist and legal scholar who served as the president of the Parlement of Toulouse, one of the highest courts in France at the time.
In the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Gris (1742-1811) was a French painter and engraver who is best known for his landscapes and portraits. He was a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris.
Another notable figure with the surname GRIS was Eugène Gris (1824-1899), a French artist and caricaturist who was active during the latter half of the 19th century. His works often satirized political and social issues of the time.
While the GRIS name has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval French language and the distinctive gray or grayish trait it once described.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gris
Among Census respondents with the surname Gris, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.3%) and Black (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gris 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 Gris surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.7% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino31.3% · 36
- Black or African American6.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gris
Gris appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,496 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 Gris 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 | #147,253 | #145,757 | 1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 115 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gris bearers went from 112 to 115 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,496 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #145,757.
FAQ
Gris surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gris?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Gris. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Gris?
Gris ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Gris. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Gris.
Has Gris become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gris went from 112 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Gris?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gris, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.3%) and Black (6.1%). 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 Gris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.7% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gris appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.7%), Hispanic (31.3%), Black (6.1%). 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 Gris (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 Gris mean?
A surname derived from the French word "gris" meaning gray. 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 Gris (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 common is the surname Gris?
You can see how common the surname Gris is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.