2000
#83,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Grassley
A surname derived from a Norman French occupational reference to a grass-seller or vendor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 250 Americans carry the last name Grassley. That puts it at #90,848 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,371,017 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grassley 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
250
1 in 1,371,017
Census rank
#90,848
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
218
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 218 bearers of the surname Grassley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90848th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grassley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grassley
The surname Grassley is believed to have its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "gras" and "ley," meaning "grass" and "meadow" or "clearing," respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked on a grassy meadow or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Grassley can be found in the town records of Eberbach, in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany, from the year 1537. Here, a man named Hans Grassley is mentioned as a landowner and farmer.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Grasly, Graslie, and Grassli. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the individual scribes who recorded the names.
In the 17th century, a family by the name of Grassley settled in the region of Alsace, which at the time was part of the Holy Roman Empire. This branch of the family produced several notable figures, including Johann Grassley (1624-1692), a respected scholar and theologian.
The name also made its way to the British Isles, where it was anglicized to Grassley or Grassley. One of the earliest recorded instances of this anglicized spelling can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, from the year 1683, where a child named William Grassley was baptized.
In the 18th century, a man named Thomas Grassley (1712-1782) gained recognition as a successful merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol, England. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country, contributing to the spread of the name.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Grassley was Sir Robert Grassley (1834-1912), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was knighted for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
As the Grassley name continued to disperse across Europe and beyond, it found its way to the United States, where it has been carried by several prominent individuals, including Charles Grassley (born 1933), a long-serving United States Senator from Iowa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grassley
Among Census respondents with the surname Grassley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grassley 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 Grassley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 191
- Two or more races7.8% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 8
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grassley
Grassley 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
#91,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 201
-7 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 7,660 places
2020
#90,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
+17 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 777 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,965 | 208 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,625 | 201 | 0.07 | -7 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 7,660 places |
| 2020 | #90,848 | 218 | 0.07 | +17 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 777 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 Grassley 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 | #91,625 | #90,848 | 0.8% |
| Count | 201 | 218 | 8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grassley bearers went from 201 to 218 (+8.5% change). The surname moved up 777 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,625 to #90,848.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grassley
FAQ
Grassley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grassley?
Name Census estimates that about 250 living Americans carry the surname Grassley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,371,017 residents.
How common is Grassley?
Grassley ranks #90,848 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 218 people with the surname Grassley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (250), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Grassley.
Has Grassley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grassley went from 201 recorded bearers to 218. That is an increase of 17 (+8.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #91,625 to #90,848.
What does the Census say about the background of Grassley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grassley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Grassley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (191 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grassley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (7.8%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Grassley (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 Grassley mean?
A surname derived from a Norman French occupational reference to a grass-seller or vendor. 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 Grassley (0.07 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 Grassley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.