2000
#18,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Grosvenor
A surname derived from the Norman French words "gros" and "venor" meaning a person involved with large game hunting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,560 Americans carry the last name Grosvenor. That puts it at #19,828 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 219,714 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grosvenor 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Grosvenor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 219,714
Census rank
#19,828
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,360 bearers of the surname Grosvenor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19828th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosvenor, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grosvenor
The surname Grosvenor has its origins in the Norman French language and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the words "gros" meaning "great" and "veneor" meaning "hunter". The name likely referred to someone who was an accomplished hunter or huntsman.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Grosvenor" and "Grovenor". This suggests the name was already well-established among the Norman aristocracy who settled in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 12th century, the Grosvenor family held lands in Cheshire, England, particularly around the area of Hulme near Manchester. The family coat of arms featured a hunting horn, further reinforcing the name's association with hunting.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Grosvenor, who lived in the late 12th century and served as a baron under King Richard I. His descendants continued to hold prominent positions in Cheshire for several centuries.
The name also has connections to place names in Cheshire, such as Grosvenor Square in Chester and the township of Grosvenor. These place names likely derive from the family name rather than the other way around.
Another notable figure with the surname was Thomas Grosvenor (1565-1622), who served as a Member of Parliament for Chester in the early 17th century. He was instrumental in securing the city's charter and privileges.
In the 18th century, Sir Robert Grosvenor (1676-1733) became the 6th Baronet of the Grosvenor family. He was a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament, and his descendant Richard Grosvenor (1731-1802) was elevated to the peerage as the 1st Earl Grosvenor in 1784.
The Grosvenor family's wealth and influence continued to grow in the 19th century, with Hugh Grosvenor (1825-1899), the 1st Duke of Westminster, becoming one of the richest men in Britain through his extensive land holdings in London's Mayfair district.
Throughout its history, the surname Grosvenor has been associated with nobility, landownership, and hunting, reflecting its Norman French origins and the family's prominent role in the history of Cheshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grosvenor
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosvenor, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Grosvenor 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 Grosvenor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 1,033
- Black or African American17.1% · 233
- Two or more races3.3% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grosvenor
Grosvenor 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
#19,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,371
+17 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 919 places
2020
#19,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,360
-11 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,735 | 1,354 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,654 | 1,371 | 0.46 | +17 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 919 places |
| 2020 | #19,828 | 1,360 | 0.46 | -11 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 174 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 Grosvenor 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 | #19,654 | #19,828 | -0.9% |
| Count | 1,371 | 1,360 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 0.46 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grosvenor bearers went from 1,371 to 1,360 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,654 to #19,828.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grosvenor
FAQ
Grosvenor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grosvenor?
Name Census estimates that about 1,560 living Americans carry the surname Grosvenor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 219,714 residents.
How common is Grosvenor?
Grosvenor ranks #19,828 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 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 1,360 people with the surname Grosvenor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,560), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 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 Grosvenor.
Has Grosvenor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grosvenor went from 1,371 recorded bearers to 1,360. That is a decrease of 11 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,654 to #19,828.
What does the Census say about the background of Grosvenor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosvenor, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Grosvenor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (1,033 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grosvenor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.0%), Black (17.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Grosvenor (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 Grosvenor mean?
A surname derived from the Norman French words "gros" and "venor" meaning a person involved with large game hunting. 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 Grosvenor (0.46 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 are called Grosvenor?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Grosvenor on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.