NameCensus.

UK surname

Grice

An English occupational surname for someone who sold various items or worked as a servant.

In the 1881 census there were 3,083 people recorded with the Grice surname, ranking it #1,459 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,626, ranked #1,473, down from #1,459 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Birmingham Town: Birmingham and Birmingham Town: Aston. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Derbyshire, Doncaster and Ryedale.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grice is 4,927 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.0%.

1881 census count

3,083

Ranked #1,459

Modern count

4,626

2016, ranked #1,473

Peak year

1999

4,927 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Grice had 3,083 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,459 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,626 in 2016, ranked #1,473.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,396 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Grice surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Grice surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grice 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 1,985 #1,459
1861 historical 1,923 #1,514
1881 historical 3,083 #1,459
1891 historical 3,254 #1,463
1901 historical 3,955 #1,425
1911 historical 4,396 #1,175
1997 modern 4,698 #1,391
1998 modern 4,889 #1,391
1999 modern 4,927 #1,388
2000 modern 4,902 #1,391
2001 modern 4,820 #1,386
2002 modern 4,913 #1,385
2003 modern 4,742 #1,396
2004 modern 4,732 #1,397
2005 modern 4,634 #1,409
2006 modern 4,657 #1,404
2007 modern 4,656 #1,417
2008 modern 4,687 #1,416
2009 modern 4,814 #1,414
2010 modern 4,862 #1,433
2011 modern 4,797 #1,433
2012 modern 4,638 #1,451
2013 modern 4,720 #1,456
2014 modern 4,747 #1,450
2015 modern 4,647 #1,470
2016 modern 4,626 #1,473

Geography

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Where Grices are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Birmingham Town: Birmingham, Birmingham Town: Aston and West Bromwich. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Derbyshire, Doncaster, Ryedale, Sandwell and North West Leicestershire. 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 London parishes London 2
3 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire
4 Birmingham Town: Aston Warwickshire
5 West Bromwich Staffordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Derbyshire 011 South Derbyshire
2 Doncaster 009 Doncaster
3 Ryedale 004 Ryedale
4 Sandwell 039 Sandwell
5 North West Leicestershire 008 North West Leicestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grice

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grice

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Grice, 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 Grice surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Grice 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Grice 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

Grice is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Grice falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Grice

The surname Grice originated in the north of England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old Norse word "grís" meaning a young pig or piglet. It is believed to have been an occupational name given to those who raised and tended to pigs, likely on a farm or small holding.

The earliest known record of the name Grice appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where one Richard Grice is listed. In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273 also mention a Hugo Griz, using the older spelling variant.

During the 14th century, the surname Grice began appearing more frequently in various records across northern England, particularly in areas like Lancashire and Yorkshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332 list a John del Gryse, showcasing the locative prefix "del" which was common at the time.

Over time, the name Grice became associated with various place names in the region, such as Grice Huish in Devon and Grizedale in Lancashire. The latter likely derived from the Old Norse "gríss-dalr" meaning "valley of the young pigs".

Notable individuals bearing the surname Grice throughout history include:

1. Sir Thomas Grice (c.1558-1628), an English merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1618. 2. John Grice (c.1580-1657), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. 3. Nathaniel Grice (1648-1720), an English non-conformist minister and writer known for his work "A Rich Cabinet with Variety of Inventions". 4. John Grice (1723-1797), an English portrait painter and member of the Royal Academy. 5. Joseph Grice (1793-1863), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London.

While the surname Grice is of English origin, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. However, its roots can be traced back to the northern counties of England, where it was once a common occupational surname connected to the raising of pigs.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Grice families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grice 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. Staffordshire leads with 503 Grices recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.95x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 503 4.95x
Lancashire 440 1.23x
Yorkshire 277 0.93x
Warwickshire 225 2.96x
Cheshire 187 2.81x
Middlesex 159 0.53x
Lincolnshire 141 2.93x
Shropshire 141 5.42x
Leicestershire 129 3.86x
Norfolk 116 2.50x
Suffolk 112 3.05x
Derbyshire 89 1.89x
Durham 83 0.93x
Surrey 77 0.52x
Cumberland 62 2.39x
Nottinghamshire 61 1.50x
Kent 39 0.38x
Worcestershire 28 0.71x
Essex 24 0.40x
Montgomeryshire 18 2.61x
Devon 17 0.27x
Northamptonshire 17 0.60x
Gloucestershire 16 0.27x
Flintshire 14 1.73x
Hampshire 12 0.19x
Monmouthshire 12 0.55x
Brecknockshire 10 1.66x
Buckinghamshire 10 0.55x
Herefordshire 9 0.73x
Huntingdonshire 8 1.34x
Bedfordshire 7 0.45x
Berkshire 7 0.31x
Hertfordshire 6 0.29x
Renfrewshire 5 0.21x
Glamorgan 4 0.08x
Merionethshire 3 0.54x
Denbighshire 2 0.18x
Dorset 2 0.10x
Isle of Man 2 0.36x
Oxfordshire 2 0.11x
Royal Navy 2 0.56x
Rutland 2 0.90x
Somerset 2 0.04x
Cornwall 1 0.03x
Lanarkshire 1 0.01x
Midlothian 1 0.02x
Northumberland 1 0.02x
Sussex 1 0.02x
Wiltshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. West Bromwich in Staffordshire leads with 166 Grices recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.52x.

Place Total Index
West Bromwich 166 28.52x
Aston 93 4.45x
Birmingham 67 2.65x
West Derby 42 4.02x
Everton 38 3.34x
Sheringham 36 301.51x
Walsall Foreign 34 6.47x
Stoke Upon Trent 31 2.88x
St Pancras London 30 1.24x
Great Grimsby 27 8.83x
Kingsley 27 217.92x
Liverpool 25 1.15x
Normanton 23 25.64x
Church Gresley 22 29.32x
Seals 20 169.92x
Widnes 20 7.76x
Aylesford 19 66.71x
Burslem 19 6.52x
Camberwell 18 0.94x
Eccleston In Prescot 18 10.03x
Monks Coppenhall 18 7.17x
Sutton 18 15.02x
Wolstanton 18 5.83x
Blyford 17 918.92x
Cannock 17 9.58x
Polesworth 17 47.13x
Tipton 17 5.46x
Tudhoe 17 21.68x
Bootle 16 190.93x
Garston 16 15.17x
Great Yarmouth 16 4.17x
Haydor 16 424.40x
Islington London 16 0.55x
Kingswinford 16 4.33x
Wednesbury 16 6.30x
Wellington 16 10.94x
Wrockwardine 16 27.96x
Beccles 15 25.40x
Frodsham Lordship 15 133.33x
Handsworth 15 5.99x
Manchester 15 0.93x
Norton Canes 15 40.47x
Salford 15 1.43x
Sedgley 15 3.97x
Kirkdale 14 2.33x
Long Melford 14 41.06x
Newcastle Under Lyme 14 7.78x
Preston 14 1.46x
Sewstern 14 679.61x
Toxteth Park 14 1.16x
Windle 14 6.96x
Battersea 13 1.17x
Broughton In Salford 13 3.98x
Ealing 13 4.83x
Ercall Magna 13 69.78x
Hoole 13 51.71x
Norton In Malton 13 35.93x
Peterborough 13 6.34x
Pool 13 24.97x
Rowley Regis 13 4.59x
Shrewsbury St Mary 13 12.66x
Weybourne 13 539.42x
Worsley 13 5.90x
Burton Upon Trent 12 5.04x
Hackney London 12 0.71x
Leicester St Margaret 12 1.47x
Macclesfield 12 4.06x
Newton In Makerfield 12 10.96x
Norley 12 160.00x
Nottingham St Mary 12 1.14x
Bletchingley 11 57.44x
Gateshead 11 1.64x
Hoby 11 342.68x
Sheffield 11 1.16x
Holy Trinity 10 1.39x
Newington 10 0.90x
Radford 10 4.85x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 10 14.76x
Weaverthorpe 10 150.60x
Workington 10 6.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 224
Sarah 144
Elizabeth 127
Jane 77
Ann 64
Emma 51
Hannah 49
Eliza 48
Ellen 44
Annie 41
Alice 35
Margaret 32
Martha 31
Emily 23
Maria 23
Harriet 21
Charlotte 20
Louisa 19
Lucy 17
Amelia 16
Clara 16
Florence 16
Caroline 12
Fanny 12
Kate 12
Edith 11
Ada 10
Rebecca 10
Susan 10
Agnes 9
Anne 9
Catherine 9
Eleanor 9
Minnie 8
Rachel 8
Susannah 8
Esther 7
Frances 7
Rose 7
Elizth. 6
Gertrude 6
Harriett 6
Jessie 5
Julia 5
Susanna 5
Amy 4
Lilly 4
Lizzie 4
Mabel 4
Ruth 4

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 216
William 194
Thomas 106
James 105
George 94
Joseph 87
Henry 61
Richard 53
Charles 52
Samuel 50
Robert 35
Edward 33
Arthur 28
Alfred 26
Frederick 23
Harry 16
Wm. 14
Peter 13
Walter 13
Albert 12
Edwin 12
Herbert 12
David 11
Francis 11
Benjamin 10
Thos. 9
Enoch 8
Frank 8
Ernest 7
Philip 7
Isaac 6
Matthew 6
Daniel 4
Edmund 4
Fred 4
Luke 4
Alexander 3
Fredrick 3
Geo. 3
Hugh 3
Jno. 3
Michael 3
Noah 3
Percy 3
Ralph 3
Reuben 3
Stephen 3
Willie 3
Dickinson 2
Phillip 2

FAQ

Grice surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grice surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,083 people were recorded with the Grice surname. That placed it at #1,459 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grice surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,626 in 2016. That gives Grice a modern rank of #1,473.

What does the Grice surname mean?

An English occupational surname for someone who sold various items or worked as a servant.

What does the Grice map show?

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