Find out how popular the last name Grabow is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Grabow.

Grabow, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Grabow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grabow in America

Grabow is the 18218th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grabow surname appeared 1,527 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Grabow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grabow to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Grabow

The surname Grabow originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Pomerania, which is now divided between Germany and Poland. The name likely dates back to the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

The name Grabow is believed to be derived from the Old Slavic word "grab," meaning "hornbeam tree." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a grove of hornbeam trees or was associated with the cultivation or trade of these trees.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grabow can be found in the Pomeranian town of Grabow, which was first mentioned in historical documents in 1242. It is likely that the town's name inspired the surname or vice versa.

In the 14th century, a nobleman named Johann von Grabow was recorded as owning land and property in the town of Grabow. This indicates that the name had already established itself among the local nobility by that time.

During the 16th century, a notable figure named Martin Grabow (1534-1594) was a Lutheran theologian and rector of the University of Rostock. He was known for his contributions to the Protestant Reformation in northern Germany.

Another individual of note was Johann Grabow (1585-1655), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge and advisor to various German princes and dukes. His writings on legal matters were widely influential in his time.

In the 18th century, Heinrich Grabow (1703-1784) was a German painter and engraver who specialized in portraits and religious subjects. His works can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.

One of the earliest recorded immigrants to the United States with the surname Grabow was Johann Grabow, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 from the German Palatinate region.

Throughout its history, the surname Grabow has been associated with various occupations and professions, ranging from nobility and landowners to scholars, artists, and tradesmen.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grabow

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Grabow.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Grabow was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Grabow has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Grabow was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Grabow, please contact us.

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