2000
#34,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 630
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Grabner
A surname of German origin, derived from the word "graben" meaning "to dig" or "ditch digger".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 708 Americans carry the last name Grabner. That puts it at #38,609 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 484,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grabner surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
708
1 in 484,116
Census rank
#38,609
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
617
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 617 bearers of the surname Grabner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38609th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grabner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grabner
The surname GRABNER has its origins in the German language and is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, Germany, during the Middle Ages.
The name GRABNER is derived from the German word "Graber," which means "digger" or "excavator." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked as a digger or excavator of soil, perhaps in mining or construction.
Historical records indicate that the name GRABNER appeared in various forms in medieval German documents and manuscripts, such as "Graber," "Grabner," and "Gräbner." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae" from the 13th century, which mentions a "Conradus Grabner" in 1272.
In the 15th century, the name GRABNER was associated with a notable figure, Johannes Grabner (c. 1430-1508), a German Renaissance humanist and philosopher from Regensburg, Bavaria. He was known for his works on logic and philosophy.
Another prominent individual with the surname GRABNER was Gottlieb Grabner (1637-1696), a German composer and organist from Saxony. He is best known for his sacred choral works and his contributions to the development of the Baroque style in music.
In the 19th century, Franz Grabner (1807-1891) was an Austrian painter and lithographer from Vienna. He is renowned for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting scenes from Austria and Italy.
Furthermore, the name GRABNER has been linked to various place names in Germany and Austria, such as Grabnersdorf, a village in Upper Austria, and Grabnerberg, a mountain in the Bavarian Alps.
Throughout history, the surname GRABNER has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, musicians, and others, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grabner
Among Census respondents with the surname Grabner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Grabner bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Grabner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 588
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 19
- Two or more races1.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grabner
Grabner appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#36,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 606
-24 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,767 places
2020
#38,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 617
+11 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 1,771 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,071 | 630 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,838 | 606 | 0.21 | -24 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 2,767 places |
| 2020 | #38,609 | 617 | 0.21 | +11 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 1,771 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Grabner surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #36,838 | #38,609 | -4.8% |
| Count | 606 | 617 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.21 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grabner bearers went from 606 to 617 (+1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,771 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,838 to #38,609.
FAQ
Grabner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grabner?
Name Census estimates that about 708 living Americans carry the surname Grabner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 484,116 residents.
How common is Grabner?
Grabner ranks #38,609 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 617 people with the surname Grabner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (708), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Grabner.
Has Grabner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grabner went from 606 recorded bearers to 617. That is an increase of 11 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #36,838 to #38,609.
What does the Census say about the background of Grabner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grabner, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grabner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (588 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grabner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Grabner (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Grabner mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the word "graben" meaning "to dig" or "ditch digger". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Grabner (0.21 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Grabner?
You can see how many people are called Grabner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.