NameCensus.

UK surname

Grandy

An English occupational surname referring to someone who was tall or large in stature.

In the 1881 census there were 85 people recorded with the Grandy surname, ranking it #21,573 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 97, ranked #31,585, down from #21,573 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Eccles and Southampton St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wirral, Test Valley and Bexley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grandy is 435 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 14.1%.

1881 census count

85

Ranked #21,573

Modern count

97

2016, ranked #31,585

Peak year

1861

435 bearers

Map years

6

1851 to 2006

Key insights

  • Grandy had 85 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,573 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 97 in 2016, ranked #31,585.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 435 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Grandy surname distribution map

The map shows where the Grandy surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Grandy surname density by area, 2006 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grandy over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 305 #7,542
1861 historical 435 #5,918
1881 historical 85 #21,573
1891 historical 327 #10,379
1901 historical 157 #17,577
1911 historical 157 #17,348
1997 modern 101 #26,774
1998 modern 99 #27,785
1999 modern 107 #26,754
2000 modern 109 #26,381
2001 modern 105 #26,620
2002 modern 107 #26,849
2003 modern 103 #27,234
2004 modern 100 #27,964
2005 modern 102 #27,689
2006 modern 107 #27,179
2007 modern 109 #27,253
2008 modern 106 #28,016
2009 modern 104 #28,982
2010 modern 104 #29,618
2011 modern 102 #29,759
2012 modern 103 #29,733
2013 modern 105 #29,916
2014 modern 99 #31,186
2015 modern 98 #31,342
2016 modern 97 #31,585

Geography

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Where Grandys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Eccles, Southampton St Mary, Dean and Leigh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wirral, Test Valley, Bexley, Cheshire East and Lancaster. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Eccles Lancashire
3 Southampton St Mary Hampshire
4 Dean Lancashire
5 Leigh Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wirral 037 Wirral
2 Test Valley 005 Test Valley
3 Bexley 027 Bexley
4 Cheshire East 047 Cheshire East
5 Lancaster 001 Lancaster

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grandy

These lists show first names that appear often with the Grandy surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grandy

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Grandy, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Grandy surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Grandy household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Grandy is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Grandy is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Grandy falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Grandy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 25-30 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

5
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Grandy, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Grandy

The surname Grandy is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "grand," meaning "great" or "large." It is believed to have first emerged in the 12th or 13th century as a descriptive surname for someone who was particularly tall or imposing in stature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Grandy surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273, which lists a Richard le Graundy. The name is also found in various medieval records from counties such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex.

The Grandy surname may have been influenced by the Norman-French word "grandis," which also meant "great" or "large." It is possible that the name was originally bestowed upon individuals who held positions of importance or authority within their communities.

In the 16th century, the Grandy name appeared in the records of the city of Norwich, where a family of that name owned property and held influential positions. One notable member was John Grandy, a wealthy merchant and alderman who lived in the late 16th century.

During the English Civil War of the 17th century, a Colonel William Grandy is recorded as having served in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He is believed to have been from the county of Norfolk.

In the 18th century, the Grandy name was found in various parts of England, with notable individuals including Samuel Grandy (1688-1767), a clergyman and scholar from Cambridgeshire, and Thomas Grandy (1732-1803), a wealthy landowner from Norfolk.

In the 19th century, John Grandy (1813-1891) was a prominent architect and surveyor from Lincolnshire, responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the region. Another notable figure was Edward Grandy (1844-1923), a banker and philanthropist from Norfolk who donated funds for the construction of a hospital in his hometown.

While the Grandy surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to North America and other English-speaking countries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Grandy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grandy surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 19 Grandys recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.91x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 19 1.91x
Yorkshire 13 1.56x
Hampshire 11 6.40x
Middlesex 11 1.31x
Kent 8 2.80x
Surrey 6 1.47x
Lincolnshire 5 3.73x
Lanarkshire 3 1.11x
Dorset 2 3.63x
Glamorgan 2 1.37x
Warwickshire 2 0.95x
Angus 1 1.29x
Cheshire 1 0.54x
Gloucestershire 1 0.61x
Royal Navy 1 10.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Everton in Lancashire leads with 8 Grandys recorded in 1881 and an index of 25.22x.

Place Total Index
Everton 8 25.22x
Norton In Malton 8 792.08x
Gillingham 6 101.69x
Bethnal Green London 5 13.72x
Edlington 5 8333.33x
Fordingbridge 4 430.11x
Godalming 4 155.64x
Salford 4 13.67x
West Derby 4 13.74x
Barony 3 4.37x
New Malton 3 303.03x
Ringwood 3 272.73x
South Stoneham 3 80.43x
St Pancras London 3 4.44x
Cardiff St Mary 2 24.88x
Dorchester St Peter 2 500.00x
Hindley 2 47.17x
Leamington 2 142.86x
Woolwich 2 18.92x
Battersea 1 3.24x
Cheltenham 1 7.88x
Clayton Le Moors 1 51.81x
Dundee 1 3.45x
Fareham 1 48.31x
Islington London 1 1.23x
Limehouse London 1 10.86x
Royal Navy 1 11.71x
Scarborough 1 13.25x
Spitalfields London 1 15.85x
Stockport 1 10.49x
Weybridge 1 113.64x
York St Maurice 1 64.10x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Grandy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 5
Ellen 4
Sarah 4
Elizabeth 3
Jane 3
Emily 2
Hannah 2
Amelia 1
Anne 1
Bessie 1
Earrine 1
Eliza 1
Fa...oe 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Lilly 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Martha 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Grandy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
George 6
John 6
William 5
Richard 4
Andrew 2
Arthur 2
Thomas 2
Albert 1
Charles 1
Dan 1
Daniel 1
Edwin 1
Eric 1
Fredck.W.H. 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Joseph 1
Matthew 1
Ralph 1
Robert 1
Tom 1
W. 1

FAQ

Grandy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grandy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 85 people were recorded with the Grandy surname. That placed it at #21,573 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grandy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 97 in 2016. That gives Grandy a modern rank of #31,585.

What does the Grandy surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to someone who was tall or large in stature.

What does the Grandy map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Grandy bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.