2000
#8,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,611
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Grundy
From the Old English for "green valley" or "green pasture," likely referring to a person who lived near one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,143 Americans carry the last name Grundy. That puts it at #8,711 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grundy 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 Grundy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 82,731
Census rank
#8,711
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,613 bearers of the surname Grundy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8711th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grundy, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grundy
The surname Grundy is an ancient English surname with origins dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words 'grund' meaning ground or bottom, and 'ey' meaning island or low-lying land. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on a low-lying or marshy area of land.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Grundy name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as 'Grundy'. The name is also listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, recorded as 'Grundie', referring to a landowner in the county of Cheshire.
The Grundy surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lancashire, Cheshire, and Staffordshire during the medieval period. It is likely that the name originated in these areas, as many early records of the name can be found in these regions.
In the 16th century, the surname was sometimes spelled as 'Grundie' or 'Grunndye', reflecting the variations in spelling common during that time. One notable figure with this surname was Sir Randolph Grundy (1525-1592), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Staffordshire.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Grundy name continued to be found throughout northern England, with many families residing in the towns and villages of Lancashire and Cheshire. One notable individual from this period was John Grundy (1677-1748), a successful merchant and landowner from Manchester.
In the 19th century, the Grundy surname began to spread more widely across England and beyond. One famous bearer of the name was Frederick Grundy (1840-1909), a renowned English poet and literary critic. Another notable figure was Sydney Grundy (1848-1914), a playwright and dramatist whose works were popular in both England and America.
Other notable individuals with the Grundy surname include Joseph Grundy (1854-1930), a successful industrialist and founder of the Grundy Machine Works in Bury, Lancashire, and Eliza Grundy (1809-1888), a pioneer of women's education who established several schools for girls in the north of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grundy
Among Census respondents with the surname Grundy, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Grundy 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 Grundy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.3% · 2,214
- Black or African American28.2% · 1,018
- Two or more races5.2% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 155
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grundy
Grundy 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
#8,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,759
+148 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 318 places
2020
#8,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,613
-146 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,406 | 3,611 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,724 | 3,759 | 1.27 | +148 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 318 places |
| 2020 | #8,711 | 3,613 | 1.21 | -146 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 13 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 Grundy 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 | #8,724 | #8,711 | 0.1% |
| Count | 3,759 | 3,613 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.21 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grundy bearers went from 3,759 to 3,613 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,724 to #8,711.
FAQ
Grundy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grundy?
Name Census estimates that about 4,143 living Americans carry the surname Grundy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,731 residents.
How common is Grundy?
Grundy ranks #8,711 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,613 people with the surname Grundy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Grundy.
Has Grundy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grundy went from 3,759 recorded bearers to 3,613. That is a decrease of 146 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,724 to #8,711.
What does the Census say about the background of Grundy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grundy, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Grundy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.3% (2,214 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grundy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.3%), Black (28.2%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Grundy (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 Grundy mean?
From the Old English for "green valley" or "green pasture," likely referring to a person who lived near one. 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 Grundy (1.21 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 Grundy?
Want to know how many people have the surname Grundy? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.