Explore the Family Name Gridley
The meaning of Gridley
English: 1. variant of Greasley, either a habitational name from Greasley in Nottinghamshire (but possibly also from Gresley in Derbyshire), or a nickname either from Old French greslet ‘marked as by hail’, i.e. pitted or pock-marked, or Old French greslet, gresli, grailet ‘thin, slim’. 2. perhaps from Middle English greithli, gritheli ‘good, pleasant, noble’ (Old Norse greithligr), the source of modern northern dialect gradely ‘decent, honest, good-looking, kind’. In the absence of medieval surname forms this is conjectural. History: Richard Gridley arrived in Boston c.1630. His fourth-generation descendant Richard (1710/11–96) was born in Boston and became a military engineer and iron smelter.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gridley in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Gridley has seen a slight fluctuation in its popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 15,061 in America, with 1,797 individuals reported bearing this last name. Ten years later, in 2010, the rank dipped slightly to 15,483, yet there was an increase in the count of individuals with the Gridley surname to 1,891. The growth of 5.23% signifies that the surname's prevalence per 100,000 people decreased by 4.48%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,061 | #15,483 | -2.8% |
| Count | 1,797 | 1,891 | 5.23% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.67 | 0.64 | -4.48% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gridley
Concerning ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates a small but noteworthy shift in the ethnicity of those with the Gridley surname between 2000 and 2010. The largest portion of bearers identifies as White, though this figure declined slightly from 95.49% to 93.60%. Notable changes were observed among those identifying as Black, Hispanic, and those with two or more races. The proportion of Gridleys identifying as Black more than doubled, rising from 0.50% to 1.06%. Similarly, those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase from 1.56% to 2.17%, while those identifying with two or more races rose from 1.11% to 1.75%. The percentage of Gridleys identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained relatively stable.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.49% | 93.6% | -1.98% |
| Hispanic | 1.56% | 2.17% | 39.1% |
| Two or More Races | 1.11% | 1.75% | 57.66% |
| Black | 0.5% | 1.06% | 112% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.61% | 0.74% | 21.31% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.72% | 0.69% | -4.17% |