Graunt

Graunt is an English surname. The name is most notable for John Graunt (1620–1674), a London merchant and statistician who is considered a founder of demography and modern statistics.

In 1662 he published Observations on the Bills of Mortality based on data from the London Bills of Mortality. He tabulated deaths by age, sex, and cause, and introduced methods for summarizing population data, calculating life expectancy, and constructing early life tables. His work demonstrated how systematic data collection and quantitative analysis could reveal patterns in population size, mortality, and life expectancy, and it helped lay the groundwork for statistical thinking, actuarial science, and public health governance.

The surname Graunt remains relatively rare in modern usage and appears mainly in historical or genealogical contexts. It is distinguished from the more common surname Grant by its distinctive spelling, a feature often noted by scholars and in archival records. Beyond John Graunt, the name does not have a widely recognized set of contemporary bearers prominent in public life.