NameCensus.

UK surname

Grenville

A locational surname originating from Grenville in Normandy, France.

In the 1881 census there were 103 people recorded with the Grenville surname, ranking it #19,410 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 177, ranked #21,230, down from #19,410 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Edinburgh and Down, East. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Canterbury, South Somerset and Nottingham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grenville is 178 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 71.8%.

1881 census count

103

Ranked #19,410

Modern count

177

2016, ranked #21,230

Peak year

2002

178 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Grenville had 103 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,410 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 177 in 2016, ranked #21,230.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 135 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Grenville surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Grenville surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grenville 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 70 #21,020
1861 historical 87 #22,681
1881 historical 103 #19,410
1891 historical 111 #22,421
1901 historical 135 #19,203
1911 historical 119 #20,535
1997 modern 166 #19,797
1998 modern 174 #19,729
1999 modern 176 #19,722
2000 modern 177 #19,634
2001 modern 168 #19,986
2002 modern 178 #19,671
2003 modern 171 #19,953
2004 modern 161 #20,840
2005 modern 158 #21,052
2006 modern 165 #20,634
2007 modern 164 #20,973
2008 modern 165 #21,056
2009 modern 168 #21,290
2010 modern 177 #21,034
2011 modern 163 #21,983
2012 modern 177 #20,836
2013 modern 170 #21,726
2014 modern 176 #21,413
2015 modern 177 #21,220
2016 modern 177 #21,230

Geography

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Where Grenvilles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Edinburgh, Down, East, St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital and Brighton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Canterbury, South Somerset, Nottingham and Thurrock. 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 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Down, East Devon
4 St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital Kent
5 Brighton Sussex

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Canterbury 014 Canterbury
2 South Somerset 010 South Somerset
3 South Somerset 014 South Somerset
4 Nottingham 019 Nottingham
5 Thurrock 002 Thurrock

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grenville

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grenville

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

Ageing Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

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, Grenville 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

Grenville is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Grenville falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Grenville 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 Grenville, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Grenville

The surname Grenville originated in Normandy, France, and is derived from the Old French words "grenil," meaning a barn or granary, and "ville," meaning a town or village. It is believed that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or owned a granary.

The name can be traced back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The earliest recorded reference to the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

In the 12th century, the Grenvilles were prominent landowners in Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Richard de Grenville, who held lands in Buckinghamshire in the late 12th century.

The Grenvilles played a significant role in English history, with several members achieving notable positions and recognition. One such individual was Sir Richard Grenville (1542-1591), an English naval officer who died defending the ship Revenge against a vastly superior Spanish fleet during the Anglo-Spanish War.

Another famous bearer of the Grenville surname was George Grenville (1712-1770), a British Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1763 to 1765. He is best known for introducing the controversial Stamp Act, which was a significant factor leading to the American Revolution.

In the 18th century, the Grenvilles were associated with the Dukedom of Buckingham and Normanby. Richard Grenville, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby (1711-1779), was a British courtier and politician who served as Lord President of the Council.

Another notable Grenville was William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville (1759-1834), a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807. He played a significant role in the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

Over the centuries, the spelling of the surname has evolved, with variations such as Grenvill, Grenville, Granville, and Grantville appearing in various historical records and documents.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Grenville families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grenville 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 30 Grenvilles recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.99x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 30 2.99x
Lancashire 16 1.34x
Sussex 11 6.49x
Midlothian 8 5.94x
Gloucestershire 7 3.55x
Devon 6 2.87x
Kent 5 1.46x
Buckinghamshire 4 6.59x
Somerset 4 2.47x
Monmouthshire 3 4.13x
Staffordshire 3 0.88x
Oxfordshire 2 3.22x
Worcestershire 2 1.52x
Surrey 1 0.20x
Warwickshire 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brighton in Sussex leads with 9 Grenvilles recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.34x.

Place Total Index
Brighton 9 26.34x
Bury 9 66.08x
Willesden 9 95.04x
Eastdown 6 5000.00x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 6 188.68x
Heaton Norris 6 88.37x
Mile End Old Town London 6 28.06x
Kensington London 5 8.95x
Canterbury St Mary 4 173.91x
Stroud 4 104.44x
Stowe 3 2500.00x
Butleigh 2 740.74x
Claines 2 55.56x
Clifton 2 20.08x
Colinton 2 133.33x
Heston 2 59.88x
Newport 2 57.80x
Rugeley 2 82.30x
St Pancras London 2 2.47x
St Paul Covent Garden 2 198.02x
Bermondsey 1 3.34x
Birmingham 1 1.18x
Eccleshall 1 77.52x
Hampstead London 1 6.39x
Henley On Thames 1 78.74x
Hove 1 13.46x
Liverpool 1 1.38x
Milborne Port 1 153.85x
Norton Fitzwarren 1 434.78x
Patcham 1 333.33x
Plumstead 1 8.75x
Poplar London 1 5.27x
Shire Newton 1 384.62x
St Dunstan In West London 1 322.58x
Uxbridge 1 86.96x
W Adderbury 1 666.67x
West Wycombe 1 121.95x
Westbury On Trym 1 14.97x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 8
Frederick 3
George 3
Richard 3
Thomas 3
Henry 2
James 2
Benjamin 1
Charles 1
Ecrory 1
Edgar 1
Edward 1
Edwd.M. 1
Ernest 1
Garard 1
Gerard 1
H. 1
Harry 1
John 1
Joseph 1
Leonard 1
Palmer 1
Percival 1
Ralph 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Sydney 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Grenville surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grenville surname in 1881?

In 1881, 103 people were recorded with the Grenville surname. That placed it at #19,410 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grenville surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 177 in 2016. That gives Grenville a modern rank of #21,230.

What does the Grenville surname mean?

A locational surname originating from Grenville in Normandy, France.

What does the Grenville map show?

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