NameCensus.

UK surname

Grant

An English and Scottish surname derived from the Old French grand, meaning "tall" or "large."

In the 1881 census there were 29,695 people recorded with the Grant surname, ranking it #105 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 45,658, ranked #110, down from #105 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie, London parishes and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Badenoch and Strathspey North, South Speyside and the Cabrach and Sutherland South.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grant is 46,086 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 53.8%.

1881 census count

29,695

Ranked #105

Modern count

45,658

2016, ranked #110

Peak year

2010

46,086 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Grant had 29,695 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #105 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 45,658 in 2016, ranked #110.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 35,402 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Grant surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Grant surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grant 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 21,654 #98
1861 historical 22,914 #94
1881 historical 29,695 #105
1891 historical 31,661 #105
1901 historical 35,402 #117
1911 historical 20,183 #223
1997 modern 42,332 #105
1998 modern 43,916 #104
1999 modern 44,190 #104
2000 modern 44,093 #106
2001 modern 42,851 #106
2002 modern 43,752 #107
2003 modern 42,944 #109
2004 modern 43,102 #109
2005 modern 42,836 #110
2006 modern 42,929 #109
2007 modern 43,466 #109
2008 modern 43,969 #109
2009 modern 45,080 #109
2010 modern 46,086 #109
2011 modern 45,315 #110
2012 modern 44,371 #110
2013 modern 45,381 #110
2014 modern 45,936 #110
2015 modern 45,637 #110
2016 modern 45,658 #110

Geography

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Where Grants are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie, London parishes, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Abernethy and Kincardine. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Badenoch and Strathspey North, South Speyside and the Cabrach, Sutherland South, Badenoch and Strathspey Central and Blackness, Bo'ness - Carriden and Grahamsdyke. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Cromdale, Inverallan and Advie Elgin
2 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Abernethy and Kincardine Inverness

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Badenoch and Strathspey North Highland
2 South Speyside and the Cabrach Moray
3 Sutherland South Highland
4 Badenoch and Strathspey Central Highland
5 Blackness, Bo'ness - Carriden and Grahamsdyke Falkirk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grant

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grant

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Grant, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Grant surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Grant household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Grant is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Grant is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Grant 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 Grant is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Grant

The surname GRANT originated in the early medieval era in Normandy, France. It is derived from the Old French word "grant" meaning "big" or "large". The name likely referred to someone of tall stature or physical size.

The name first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066 when William the Conqueror rewarded his Norman noblemen with lands across England. Some of these Normans adopted locational surnames based on the new territories they governed, such as Richard de Grant who was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as holding lands in Essex.

Early variants of the spelling included Graunt, Grande, and Grante. The surname spread across Britain in the following centuries, with branches establishing in Scotland and Ireland too. Sir Francis Grant (c.1270-1334) was a Scottish knight who served under King Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

In the mid-15th century, John Grant (c.1433-1505) founded the clan Grant and built their seat at Freuchie Castle in Inverness-shire, Scotland. A prominent member was Sir Duncan Grant (1585-1638), a Scottish military leader who fought for Sweden during the Thirty Years' War in Europe.

Other notable bearers include Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the American Civil War general who later served as the 18th President of the United States from 1869 to 1877. Cary Grant (1904-1986) was a famous Hollywood actor originally named Archibald Leach who took "Grant" as his stage name. Economist Milton Grant (1914-1998) co-founded the Milton Friedman Institute for economic research.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Grant families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grant 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. Middlesex leads with 2,171 Grants recorded in 1881 and an index of 0.75x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 2,171 0.75x
Aberdeenshire 1,956 7.29x
Inverness-shire 1,896 21.90x
Morayshire 1,789 39.72x
Lanarkshire 1,775 1.89x
Banffshire 1,330 22.12x
Midlothian 1,223 3.15x
Yorkshire 1,161 0.40x
Lancashire 1,078 0.31x
Surrey 1,047 0.74x
Angus 1,041 3.88x
Hampshire 844 1.42x
Kent 792 0.80x
Devon 673 1.12x
Durham 585 0.68x
Leicestershire 545 1.70x
Warwickshire 456 0.62x
Ross-shire 433 5.44x
Northumberland 420 0.97x
Somerset 409 0.88x
Lincolnshire 382 0.82x
Perthshire 379 2.91x
Wiltshire 345 1.35x
Sussex 341 0.70x
Caithness 338 8.52x
West Lothian 327 7.49x
Glamorgan 318 0.63x
Ayrshire 315 1.45x
Sutherland 305 13.68x
Staffordshire 293 0.30x
Fife 288 1.68x
Gloucestershire 280 0.49x
Renfrewshire 261 1.16x
Oxfordshire 242 1.35x
Cheshire 239 0.37x
Essex 231 0.40x
Kincardineshire 228 6.46x
Dorset 226 1.19x
Stirlingshire 207 1.94x
Norfolk 192 0.43x
Derbyshire 186 0.41x
Dunbartonshire 170 2.18x
Nairnshire 156 17.63x
Northamptonshire 143 0.52x
Argyllshire 136 1.69x
Cumberland 130 0.52x
Berkshire 121 0.56x
Nottinghamshire 102 0.26x
Roxburghshire 81 1.54x
Worcestershire 73 0.19x
Hertfordshire 72 0.36x
East Lothian 70 1.82x
Berwickshire 67 1.91x
Buckinghamshire 60 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 56 0.31x
Royal Navy 55 1.59x
Selkirkshire 53 2.02x
Shropshire 53 0.21x
Monmouthshire 50 0.24x
Cornwall 49 0.15x
Dumfriesshire 46 0.72x
Suffolk 44 0.12x
Channel Islands 42 0.49x
Kirkcudbrightshire 35 0.83x
Carmarthenshire 34 0.28x
Orkney 30 0.94x
Bedfordshire 29 0.19x
Westmorland 22 0.35x
Clackmannanshire 21 0.88x
Peeblesshire 20 1.47x
Herefordshire 19 0.16x
Buteshire 17 0.97x
Brecknockshire 16 0.28x
Shetland 16 0.54x
Pembrokeshire 12 0.13x
Denbighshire 11 0.10x
Isle of Man 10 0.19x
Cardiganshire 8 0.11x
Rutland 8 0.38x
Huntingdonshire 7 0.12x
Kinross-shire 7 0.96x
Caernarfonshire 6 0.05x
Montgomeryshire 5 0.08x
Wigtownshire 5 0.13x
Flintshire 3 0.04x
Anglesey 1 0.02x
Merionethshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Cromdale in Morayshire leads with 638 Grants recorded in 1881 and an index of 176.04x.

Place Total Index
Cromdale 638 176.04x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 592 3.79x
Barony 440 1.85x
Govan 440 1.90x
Inverness 418 19.20x
Aberdeen Old Machar 397 7.08x
Glasgow 375 2.25x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 363 7.23x
Dundee 331 3.30x
Inveravon 312 121.72x
Abernethy Kincardine 301 197.09x
Duthil 280 169.46x
Portsea 244 2.10x
Elgin 233 26.59x
Lambeth 217 0.86x
Leicester St Margaret 200 2.55x
Islington London 188 0.67x
Liverpool 175 0.84x
Liff Benvie 166 4.07x
Kensington London 165 1.02x
Camberwell 150 0.81x
Keith 148 23.09x
St Pancras London 145 0.62x
Kirkmichael 143 134.05x
Forres 141 29.78x
Urquhart Glenmoriston 141 57.59x
Boness 140 23.26x
Paddington London 139 1.30x
Wick 136 10.61x
South Leith 134 3.07x
Leeds 133 0.82x
Hackney London 132 0.81x
Rothes 131 59.62x
Aberlour 128 67.11x
Rathven 128 11.33x
Mortlach 122 41.55x
Strath 120 45.60x
Dornoch 117 46.58x
Duffus 113 28.47x
St George Hanover Square 109 2.13x
Knockando 98 53.53x
St Marylebone London 97 0.63x
Toxteth Park 97 0.83x
Battersea 94 0.88x
Old Monkland 94 2.53x
Birmingham 91 0.37x
Carriden 89 44.98x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 87 2.33x
West Ham 87 0.69x
Duirinish 86 19.49x
Newington 86 0.80x
Leicester St Mary 85 3.27x
Latheron 82 12.35x
New Monkland 82 2.96x
Croydon 80 1.02x
Huntly 79 18.08x
Mile End Old Town London 79 1.28x
Gateshead 77 1.19x
Peterhead 76 5.35x
Bothwell 75 2.95x
Nairn 73 13.59x
Kingussie Insh 71 35.76x
Bermondsey 70 0.81x
Westoe 70 1.43x
Hammersmith London 69 0.97x
Southampton St Mary 68 1.82x
Chelsea London 66 0.76x
Fordyce 65 15.02x
Manchester 65 0.42x
Deptford St Paul 64 0.84x
Shoreditch London 64 0.51x
Aston 62 0.31x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 62 1.16x
Forfar 62 4.26x
Falkirk 61 2.44x
Kirkdale 61 1.05x
Cleethorpes 60 22.00x
Gamrie 60 8.94x
St Vigeans 60 4.14x
Monifieth 59 6.22x
Salford 59 0.58x
Fulham London 58 1.38x
Montrose 57 3.50x
Kilmonivaig 55 28.61x
Dallas 54 58.95x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 54 2.10x
West Greenock 54 1.34x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 959
Elizabeth 539
Sarah 463
Ann 296
Jane 290
Annie 232
Eliza 223
Ellen 212
Margaret 198
Emma 191
Alice 188
Emily 188
Hannah 128
Louisa 116
Charlotte 109
Catherine 108
Edith 101
Fanny 94
Martha 93
Isabella 92
Florence 85
Harriet 83
Caroline 82
Ada 78
Maria 71
Jessie 68
Susan 68
Agnes 65
Anne 58
Lucy 57
Rose 56
Clara 54
Frances 54
Kate 54
Harriett 51
Julia 40
Amelia 36
Matilda 36
Esther 31
Elizth. 28
Sophia 27
Ethel 26
Rebecca 26
Selina 26
Minnie 25
Amy 24
Bessie 24
Gertrude 24
Helen 24
Ruth 24

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 924
John 836
James 576
George 537
Thomas 448
Charles 315
Henry 289
Robert 212
Joseph 195
Edward 140
Arthur 126
Frederick 126
Alfred 122
Richard 98
Alexander 97
Walter 96
Samuel 87
Albert 84
Frank 63
Harry 62
David 60
Peter 59
Edwin 49
Francis 49
Patrick 49
Herbert 48
Ernest 47
Wm. 37
Michael 31
Daniel 29
Fred 29
Tom 28
Stephen 27
Thos. 24
Geo. 23
Hugh 23
Benjamin 22
Jno. 22
Sidney 21
Andrew 20
Donald 20
Edmund 17
Fredk. 17
Job 16
Christopher 15
Lewis 14
Archibald 13
Edgar 13
Owen 13
Bernard 12

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Grant households.

FAQ

Grant surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grant surname in 1881?

In 1881, 29,695 people were recorded with the Grant surname. That placed it at #105 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grant surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 45,658 in 2016. That gives Grant a modern rank of #110.

What does the Grant surname mean?

An English and Scottish surname derived from the Old French grand, meaning "tall" or "large."

What does the Grant map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Grant 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.