2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gronley
A habitational surname denoting someone from a place called Granley or Gromley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Gronley. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gronley 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Gronley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gronley, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gronley
The surname Gronley is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, with its earliest roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "grene," meaning green, and "leah," meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a green meadow or in a clearing surrounded by trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gronley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, a historical record of land ownership and tax payments from the late 12th century. In these rolls, a person named Willelmus de Greneley is mentioned, indicating that the name was present in that region during that time.
Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, various spellings of the name appeared in various regions of England, including Greneley, Grenelay, and Gronlay. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
In the 15th century, the surname Gronley gained further prominence with the birth of Sir John Gronley (1425-1492), a renowned English soldier and knight who served under King Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses. Sir John's exploits and loyalty to the Yorkist cause earned him substantial land holdings and titles, solidifying the Gronley name among the English gentry.
Another notable figure bearing the Gronley surname was Elizabeth Gronley (1563-1625), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist from Warwickshire. Elizabeth was known for her generous donations to local churches and charities, and her name appears in numerous historical records related to land transactions and charitable bequests.
The 17th century saw the emergence of Richard Gronley (1612-1680), a prominent merchant and member of the East India Company. Richard's successful trading ventures in the East Indies contributed significantly to the growth of the British Empire and the expansion of international trade routes during that era.
In the 18th century, the Gronley name gained literary significance with the publication of "The Gronley Chronicles," a series of historical novels written by author William Gronley (1735-1812). These novels, which chronicled the lives of fictional members of the Gronley family throughout various periods of English history, were widely popular and helped to further cement the name's place in the cultural consciousness of the time.
As the centuries progressed, the Gronley surname continued to be associated with notable figures in various fields, including politics, academia, and the arts, further solidifying its place in the annals of English history and contributing to the rich tapestry of the nation's cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gronley
Among Census respondents with the surname Gronley, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gronley 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 Gronley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 99
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gronley
Gronley 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,787 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 Gronley 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 | #149,395 | #154,182 | -3.2% |
| Count | 110 | 103 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gronley bearers went from 110 to 103 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,182.
FAQ
Gronley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gronley?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Gronley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Gronley?
Gronley ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Gronley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Gronley.
Has Gronley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gronley went from 110 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Gronley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gronley, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Gronley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gronley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Gronley (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 Gronley mean?
A habitational surname denoting someone from a place called Granley or Gromley. 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 Gronley (0.03 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 have the surname Gronley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.