2000
#9,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,212
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Grable
Derived from the Middle High German word "grābære," meaning a digger of ditches or graves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,312 Americans carry the last name Grable. That puts it at #10,591 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,489 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grable 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
3.3K
1 in 103,489
Census rank
#10,591
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,888 bearers of the surname Grable in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10591st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grable, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grable
The surname Grable is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "græfe," which means "grove" or "thicket." It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a small grove or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gravel." This variation likely arose due to the interchangeable use of "v" and "b" in early English spelling conventions.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was predominantly found in the counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire in northern England. Historical records from this period show various spellings, including Grayvel, Gravel, and Gravell.
In the late 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name Grable was John Grable, a Protestant martyr born in 1514. He was executed in 1586 for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Mary I.
Another prominent individual was Sir Thomas Grable, a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament who lived during the 17th century. He was born in 1620 and died in 1689.
During the 18th century, the name Grable appeared in parish records from the villages of Chorley and Eccleston in Lancashire. One entry from 1712 mentions a William Grable, whose exact birth and death dates are unknown.
In the 19th century, the name Grable gained some literary recognition with the English writer and journalist William Grable (1808-1878). He was known for his travel writings and contributions to various publications.
Another noteworthy figure was Sir Edward Grable (1841-1921), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became a Member of Parliament.
As the centuries progressed, the Grable surname gradually spread beyond its northern English roots, with various branches of the family settling in other parts of the country and eventually emigrating to other regions of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grable
Among Census respondents with the surname Grable, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Grable 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 Grable surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 2,377
- Black or African American8.9% · 256
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 128
- Two or more races3.4% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grable
Grable 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
#9,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,231
+19 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 666 places
2020
#10,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,888
-343 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,317 | 3,212 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,983 | 3,231 | 1.10 | +19 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 666 places |
| 2020 | #10,591 | 2,888 | 0.97 | -343 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 608 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 Grable 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 | #9,983 | #10,591 | -6.1% |
| Count | 3,231 | 2,888 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.97 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grable bearers went from 3,231 to 2,888 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 608 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,983 to #10,591.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grable
FAQ
Grable surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grable?
Name Census estimates that about 3,312 living Americans carry the surname Grable. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,489 residents.
How common is Grable?
Grable ranks #10,591 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,888 people with the surname Grable. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,312), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Grable.
Has Grable become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grable went from 3,231 recorded bearers to 2,888. That is a decrease of 343 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,983 to #10,591.
What does the Census say about the background of Grable?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grable, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Grable in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (2,377 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grable appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.3%), Black (8.9%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Grable (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 Grable mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "grābære," meaning a digger of ditches or graves. 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 Grable (0.97 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 Grable?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Grable on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.