2000
#86,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Gramberg
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the element "gram" meaning "sorrow" or "grief".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 196 Americans carry the last name Gramberg. That puts it at #109,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,748,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gramberg 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
196
1 in 1,748,747
Census rank
#109,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
171
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 171 bearers of the surname Gramberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 109993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gramberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gramberg
The surname GRAMBERG is of German origin, originating in the central and northern regions of the country during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "gram," meaning "angry" or "grim," and "berg," meaning "hill" or "mountain." This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone living on a rugged or foreboding hill or mountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Hanseatic League records from the 14th century, where a merchant named Henrich Gramberg is mentioned as trading goods between the port cities of Hamburg and Lübeck. The name also appears in various local church records and land registries from the 16th and 17th centuries, with variations in spelling such as "Grammberg" and "Grambergh."
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Johann Gramberg (1723-1804), a German theologian and philosopher who wrote extensively on moral philosophy and ethics. Another prominent individual was Carl Gramberg (1787-1830), a Prussian statesman and diplomat who served as a minister and ambassador during the Napoleonic Wars.
The 19th century saw the birth of two influential GRAMBERG figures: Friedrich Gramberg (1815-1889), a German historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the Hanseatic League, and Otto Gramberg (1836-1912), a pioneering German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the surname was Kurt Gramberg (1908-1989), a German athlete who competed in the decathlon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and won a silver medal.
While the name GRAMBERG is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, including commerce, theology, diplomacy, literature, architecture, and athletics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gramberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Gramberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gramberg 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 Gramberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 134
- Two or more races12.3% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.6% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gramberg
Gramberg 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
#98,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 183
-17 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 12,325 places
2020
#109,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 171
-12 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 11,011 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #86,657 | 200 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #98,982 | 183 | 0.06 | -17 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,325 places |
| 2020 | #109,993 | 171 | 0.06 | -12 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 11,011 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 Gramberg 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 | #98,982 | #109,993 | -11.1% |
| Count | 183 | 171 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gramberg bearers went from 183 to 171 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 11,011 positions in the national ranking, going from #98,982 to #109,993.
FAQ
Gramberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gramberg?
Name Census estimates that about 196 living Americans carry the surname Gramberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,748,747 residents.
How common is Gramberg?
Gramberg ranks #109,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 171 people with the surname Gramberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Gramberg.
Has Gramberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gramberg went from 183 recorded bearers to 171. That is a decrease of 12 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #98,982 to #109,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Gramberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gramberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%). 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 Gramberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (134 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gramberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Two or More Races (12.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.6%). 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 Gramberg (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 Gramberg mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the element "gram" meaning "sorrow" or "grief". 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 Gramberg (0.06 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 common is the surname Gramberg?
If you just want to know how common the surname Gramberg is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.