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Name Lineage

    The first name Granville

    A boy’s name meaning “grand”, “settlement”, “guarin's town”.

    2 syllables Male Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    Granville means “grand”, “settlement”, “guarin's town”.

    The commune of France is from Old French Granville, Grandvilla, Grande Villa, Grandivilla, from grant (“grand”) + ville (“settlement”). The surname is of Norman baronial origin, from Grainville, a former commune in Normandy, from the given name Guarin + ville, meaning “Guarin's town”. Guarin ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic *warduz (“guard”).

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Granville at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 5 boys born in the United States were named Granville, the 12,678th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 148 were.

    0100200 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    5,501
    babies named Granville since 1880
    #12,678
    rank in 2025
    1918
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Granville

    14 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Edward Granville Browne
      British Iranologist (1862–1926)
    • Granville Tailer Woods
      American inventor, 1856–1910
    • Granville Bantock
      British composer and conductor (1868-1946)
    • Granville Sharp
      English abolitionist (1735-1813)
    • Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
      British Liberal statesman (1815-1891)
    • Granville Redmond
      American artist (1871-1935)
    • Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford
      British politician (1721-1803)
    • Ross Granville Harrison
      American biologist (1870-1959)
    • Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville
      British politician and diplomat (1773-1846)
    • Granville Bates
      American actor (1882-1940)
    • Granville Hicks
      American writer (1901–1982)
    • George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland
      British diplomat, politician and landowner (1758-1833)

    Questions

    What does the name Granville mean?
    Granville means “grand”, “settlement”, “guarin's town”.
    Is Granville a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 5,501 US babies named Granville since 1880 were boys.
    When was Granville most popular?
    1918 in the United States, when 148 babies were named Granville, its highest rank at 490th.
    Is Granville also a surname?
    Yes. Granville is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.