2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Granrud
A Norwegian surname derived from a farm or location name containing elements meaning "spruce wood".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Granrud. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Granrud 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Granrud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Granrud, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Granrud
The surname GRANRUD is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Norway. The name can be traced back to the 16th century, originating in the region of Østlandet, which encompasses the eastern part of Norway.
The name GRANRUD is derived from two Old Norse words, "grann" meaning "fir tree" or "pine tree," and "ruð" meaning "clearing" or "land cleared for cultivation." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked on a clearing where fir or pine trees grew.
One of the earliest known references to the name GRANRUD can be found in a Norwegian census record from the year 1593, which mentions a farmer named Ole Granrud living in the village of Nes in Akershus County.
In the 17th century, the name GRANRUD appeared in several church records and land deeds in the counties of Akershus and Østfold. Notably, a Hans Granrud was listed as a landowner in the village of Fet in Akershus County in 1624.
The spelling of the name has remained relatively consistent over the centuries, with minor variations such as "Granrudt" or "Grannrud" appearing occasionally in older documents.
Notable individuals with the surname GRANRUD throughout history include:
1. Nils Granrud (1800-1865), a Norwegian farmer and local politician who served as mayor of Nes municipality in Akershus County.
2. Johannes Granrud (1845-1928), a Norwegian-American author and journalist who founded the Norwegian-language newspaper "Skandinaven" in Chicago.
3. Inger Granrud (1874-1954), a Norwegian educator and women's rights advocate who played a significant role in establishing educational opportunities for women in Norway.
4. Einar Granrud (1892-1971), a Norwegian-born American architect known for his work on several notable buildings in Minneapolis, including the Foshay Tower.
5. Torbjørn Granrud (born 1966), a Norwegian novelist and short story writer, whose works explore themes of identity, belonging, and the complexities of modern life.
While the name GRANRUD has its roots in Norway, it has also spread to other parts of the world, particularly in North America, through immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Granrud
Among Census respondents with the surname Granrud, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Granrud 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 Granrud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Granrud
Granrud appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-6 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 4,195 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 Granrud 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 | #149,395 | #153,590 | -2.8% |
| Count | 110 | 104 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Granrud bearers went from 110 to 104 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 4,195 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #153,590.
FAQ
Granrud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Granrud?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Granrud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Granrud?
Granrud ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Granrud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Granrud.
Has Granrud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Granrud went from 110 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Granrud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Granrud, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Granrud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Granrud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Granrud (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 Granrud mean?
A Norwegian surname derived from a farm or location name containing elements meaning "spruce wood". 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 Granrud (0.03 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 Granrud?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Granrud on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.