NameCensus.

UK surname

Gritton

An English locational surname originating from "Gritton" places in Wiltshire and Cambridgeshire.

In the 1881 census there were 175 people recorded with the Gritton surname, ranking it #13,982 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 254, ranked #16,632, down from #13,982 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lambeth and Woolwich. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sunderland, South Hams and Tendring.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gritton is 298 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 45.1%.

1881 census count

175

Ranked #13,982

Modern count

254

2016, ranked #16,632

Peak year

1998

298 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gritton had 175 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,982 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 254 in 2016, ranked #16,632.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 246 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Gritton surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gritton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gritton 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 143 #13,343
1861 historical 167 #13,956
1881 historical 175 #13,982
1891 historical 246 #12,912
1901 historical 237 #13,574
1911 historical 234 #13,526
1997 modern 264 #14,734
1998 modern 298 #13,937
1999 modern 294 #14,140
2000 modern 287 #14,345
2001 modern 276 #14,507
2002 modern 275 #14,819
2003 modern 264 #15,071
2004 modern 265 #15,110
2005 modern 258 #15,323
2006 modern 249 #15,784
2007 modern 254 #15,736
2008 modern 254 #15,903
2009 modern 256 #16,145
2010 modern 258 #16,432
2011 modern 249 #16,684
2012 modern 256 #16,253
2013 modern 259 #16,392
2014 modern 255 #16,682
2015 modern 257 #16,475
2016 modern 254 #16,632

Geography

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Where Grittons are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Sunderland, South Hams, Tendring, Lambeth and Dudley. 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 Lambeth London (South Districts)
3 Woolwich London (South Districts)
4 London parishes London 2
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sunderland 033 Sunderland
2 South Hams 010 South Hams
3 Tendring 009 Tendring
4 Lambeth 011 Lambeth
5 Dudley 024 Dudley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gritton

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gritton

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

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Gritton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Gritton household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Gritton is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gritton is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gritton falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Gritton

The surname Gritton is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "grit" meaning "coarse sand or gravel" and "tun" meaning "enclosure" or "farmstead." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a sandy or gravelly area.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is believed to be Gritton in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1204. This indicates that the name was already in use in England during the early 13th century.

There are references to the name in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gritone" and "Grytone," suggesting that the name may have been derived from a place name rather than a descriptive surname.

In the 14th century, the surname Gritton is found in various records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk in 1273, where it is spelled "Gritton," and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it appears as "Grytton."

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Gritton, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1349. Another early bearer was William Gritton, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Devon in 1381.

Over the centuries, the surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Grytton, Gritton, Gretton, and Greyton. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies of scribes in recording the name.

Notable individuals with the surname Gritton throughout history include:

1. Sir Thomas Gritton (c. 1530-1593), an English soldier and Member of Parliament. 2. John Gritton (c. 1590-1665), an English clergyman and author. 3. Mary Gritton (b. 1647), an English woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts. 4. William Gritton (1772-1846), an English merchant and philanthropist. 5. Richard Gritton (1881-1947), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gritton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gritton 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. Surrey leads with 34 Grittons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.04x.

County Total Index
Surrey 34 4.04x
Middlesex 20 1.16x
Kent 18 3.06x
Devon 11 3.06x
Yorkshire 11 0.64x
Lancashire 10 0.49x
Sussex 10 3.44x
Staffordshire 9 1.54x
Warwickshire 8 1.84x
Worcestershire 7 3.10x
Monmouthshire 6 4.81x
Derbyshire 5 1.85x
Dorset 4 3.53x
Herefordshire 4 5.65x
Wiltshire 4 2.62x
Cheshire 3 0.79x
Channel Islands 2 3.91x
Northamptonshire 2 1.23x
Royal Navy 2 9.72x
Lanarkshire 1 0.18x
Leicestershire 1 0.52x
Northumberland 1 0.39x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.43x
Oxfordshire 1 0.94x
Shropshire 1 0.67x
Somerset 1 0.36x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 10 Grittons recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.64x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 10 6.64x
Woolwich 9 41.36x
Birmingham 8 5.51x
Lewes St Ann 8 808.08x
Reigate Foreign 8 87.82x
Battersea 7 11.02x
Manchester 7 7.60x
Oldbury 7 63.12x
Stoke Upon Trent 7 11.33x
Bow London 6 27.30x
Plymouth St Andrew 6 21.68x
Ratcliffe London 5 52.47x
Southwark Christchurch 5 61.80x
York St Cuthbert 5 318.47x
Bermondsey 4 7.78x
Bradford On Avon 4 81.80x
Derby St Alkmund 4 49.38x
Gillingham 4 32.92x
Poole St James 4 93.90x
Stoke Damerel 4 15.90x
York St John Delpike 4 2222.22x
Birkenhead 3 9.87x
Islington London 3 1.79x
Plumstead 3 15.27x
Brighton 2 3.41x
Egton 2 266.67x
Farnworth 2 16.29x
Garway 2 625.00x
Paddington London 2 3.15x
Royal Navy 2 11.37x
St Helier 2 12.00x
St Pancras London 2 1.44x
St Woollos 2 14.36x
Tipton 2 11.20x
Wellingborough 2 24.48x
Barony 1 0.71x
Bedwellty 1 4.54x
Clerkenwell London 1 2.45x
Derby St Peter 1 11.61x
Ewyas Harold 1 312.50x
Hereford St Martin 1 116.28x
Leicester St Margaret 1 2.14x
Liverpool 1 0.80x
Llanfoist 1 116.28x
Llantillio Crossenny 1 256.41x
Margate St John Baptist 1 9.27x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 1 79.37x
Ramsgate 1 10.40x
Shoreditch London 1 1.34x
Shrewsbury St Alkmond 1 120.48x
Skenfrith 1 270.27x
Snenton 1 10.94x
Tavistock 1 24.45x
Westgate 1 6.29x
Wincanton 1 69.93x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 10
Elizabeth 7
Caroline 6
Annie 4
Sarah 4
Alice 3
Eleanor 3
Eliza 3
Emma 3
Maria 3
Matilda 3
Clara 2
Emily 2
Fanny 2
Jane 2
Ada 1
Adelaide 1
Adiline 1
Amy 1
Ann 1
Catherine 1
Charlotte 1
Christina 1
Clothilda 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Elsie 1
Euphemia 1
Florence 1
Harriet 1
Helen 1
Jenny 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Katherine 1
Lavinia 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Maryann 1
Rhoda 1
Selina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 11
William 10
James 7
Henry 6
Thomas 6
Charles 5
George 5
Joseph 5
Alfred 4
Richard 3
Tom 3
Albert 2
Edward 2
Frank 2
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Samuel 2
Archibald 1
Arthur 1
Edwin 1
F. 1
Fermon 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Fredk.Jno. 1
Harvey 1
Jessie 1
Jules 1
Neil 1
Ralph 1
Robt. 1
Thos. 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Gritton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gritton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 175 people were recorded with the Gritton surname. That placed it at #13,982 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gritton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 254 in 2016. That gives Gritton a modern rank of #16,632.

What does the Gritton surname mean?

An English locational surname originating from "Gritton" places in Wiltshire and Cambridgeshire.

What does the Gritton map show?

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