2000
#9,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,259
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Grams
A surname derived from the Old Norse word "gromr," meaning "boy" or "young man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,584 Americans carry the last name Grams. That puts it at #9,874 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,635 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grams 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
3.6K
1 in 95,635
Census rank
#9,874
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,125 bearers of the surname Grams in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9874th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grams, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grams
The surname Grams originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle Low German word "gram," which means "angry" or "displeased." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone with a grumpy or ill-tempered disposition.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Grams appeared in various German records and documents, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Brandenburg. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Bautzen, located in present-day Saxony, where a certain Hans Grams was mentioned in 1612.
The Grams surname has also been linked to several place names, such as Gramsdorf and Gramzow, which are villages in northeastern Germany. These place names likely originated from the same root word as the surname, potentially indicating that some individuals may have adopted the name based on their place of origin or residence.
Notable individuals with the surname Grams include Johann Grams (1685-1752), a German composer and organist from Dresden, who made significant contributions to the development of the classical music genre. Another prominent figure was Theodor Grams (1844-1916), a German philologist and scholar of Romance languages, who served as a professor at the University of Berlin.
In the 19th century, the name Grams appeared in various historical records and documents across Germany. For instance, Carl August Grams (1824-1904) was a German sculptor and painter known for his works depicting classical themes and mythological figures.
Additionally, the Grams surname has been associated with Johann Gottlieb Grams (1767-1834), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of hermeneutics, the study of interpretation and understanding.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Hans-Jürgen Grams (1932-2018), a German football player and manager who had a successful career in the Bundesliga, the top professional football league in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grams
Among Census respondents with the surname Grams, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grams 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 Grams surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,878
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 88
- Two or more races2.8% · 86
- Black or African American1.3% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grams
Grams 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
#9,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,447
+188 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 232 places
2020
#9,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,125
-322 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,205 | 3,259 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,437 | 3,447 | 1.17 | +188 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 232 places |
| 2020 | #9,874 | 3,125 | 1.05 | -322 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 437 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 Grams 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 | #9,437 | #9,874 | -4.6% |
| Count | 3,447 | 3,125 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.05 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grams bearers went from 3,447 to 3,125 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 437 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,437 to #9,874.
FAQ
Grams surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grams?
Name Census estimates that about 3,584 living Americans carry the surname Grams. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,635 residents.
How common is Grams?
Grams ranks #9,874 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,125 people with the surname Grams. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,584), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Grams.
Has Grams become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grams went from 3,447 recorded bearers to 3,125. That is a decrease of 322 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,437 to #9,874.
What does the Census say about the background of Grams?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grams, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Grams in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,878 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grams appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Grams (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 Grams mean?
A surname derived from the Old Norse word "gromr," meaning "boy" or "young man." 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 Grams (1.05 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 Americans have the surname Grams?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.