2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grisell
A variant spelling of the English surname Griselle, derived from a grey fabric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Grisell. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grisell 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Grisell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grisell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grisell
The surname Grisell originates from England, emerging during the medieval period. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the name Griselda, which itself is derived from the Old Germanic name Grisildis. This name was ultimately adapted from the folk tale "Griselda" by Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian writer and poet who lived from 1313 to 1375.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Grisell appears in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166, where a person named Gris' is mentioned. The apostrophe at the end likely indicates that it was a shortened form of a longer name like Grisell or Griselda.
In the 13th century, there are records of a family named Grisell residing in the county of Essex. A notable member was Sir John Grisell, who served as a member of parliament for Essex in 1295.
Another early reference can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which lists a Thomas Grisell as a taxpayer. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by that time.
During the 15th century, the name appears in several historical documents, including the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from a wealthy Norfolk family. In one letter from 1477, a woman named Margery Grisell is mentioned.
Over the centuries, various spelling variations emerged, such as Grisild, Grissell, and Grissel. These were likely influenced by regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of record-keeping during that era.
Notable individuals with the surname Grisell include:
1. Thomas Grisell (c. 1530 - c. 1604), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire.
2. Henry Grisell (c. 1579 - 1647), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Principal of Gloucester Hall, Oxford.
3. Constantia Grisell (c. 1645 - 1713), an English painter and miniaturist active during the late 17th century.
4. William Grisell (1696 - 1766), a British merchant and plantation owner in colonial Jamaica.
5. Sir Thomas Grisell (1801 - 1874), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and achieved the rank of Admiral.
While the surname Grisell is not among the most common in England today, it has a rich historical background spanning several centuries and various regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grisell
Among Census respondents with the surname Grisell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grisell 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 Grisell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 98
- Two or more races8.2% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grisell
Grisell 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+7 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,453 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-15 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 2,453 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 14,734 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 Grisell 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 | #134,712 | #149,446 | -10.9% |
| Count | 125 | 110 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grisell bearers went from 125 to 110 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 14,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #149,446.
FAQ
Grisell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grisell?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Grisell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Grisell?
Grisell ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Grisell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Grisell.
Has Grisell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grisell went from 125 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Grisell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grisell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grisell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grisell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (8.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Grisell (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 Grisell mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Griselle, derived from a grey fabric. 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 Grisell (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 many Americans have the surname Grisell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.