2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grasha
Russian surname derived from the Slavic word "grakh," meaning a person of haughty or arrogant demeanor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Grasha. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grasha 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Grasha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grasha, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grasha
The surname Grasha originates from the Czech Republic, tracing its roots back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Czech word "hraše," meaning "pea" or "lentil," suggesting that the family may have been associated with the cultivation or trade of these crops.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Brno, dated around 1458, where a certain Jan Grasha is mentioned as a landowner. This indicates that the family had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various church records across Moravia and Bohemia, with variations in spelling such as Grascha, Hrascha, and Hražka. This diversity in spelling was common during that period due to the inconsistencies in record-keeping and the influence of regional dialects.
A notable figure bearing this surname was Karel Grasha (1620-1689), a renowned architect who contributed to the reconstruction of several churches and monasteries in Prague following the Thirty Years' War. His work can still be admired in the intricate details of the St. Vitus Cathedral and the Strahov Monastery.
Another individual of historical significance was Jindřich Grasha (1756-1824), a prominent scholar and linguist who played a crucial role in preserving and documenting the Czech language during a time of cultural suppression under Habsburg rule. His publications on Czech grammar and vocabulary are considered invaluable resources for understanding the language's evolution.
In the 19th century, the Grasha family expanded beyond the Czech lands, with some members immigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the United States. One such individual was Josef Grasha (1835-1912), who settled in Chicago and established a successful brewing business, contributing to the city's vibrant immigrant community.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the name Grasha appeared in various records in the Bohemian Forest region, where it was associated with several small villages and hamlets. This suggests that the family had established roots in rural areas as well as urban centers.
Throughout its history, the surname Grasha has maintained a strong presence in the Czech Republic and its neighboring regions, reflecting the family's deep-rooted ties to the land and its cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grasha
Among Census respondents with the surname Grasha, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Grasha 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 Grasha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 96
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grasha
Grasha 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
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-19 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,399 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 12,399 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 Grasha 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 | #144,141 | #156,540 | -8.6% |
| Count | 115 | 96 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grasha bearers went from 115 to 96 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 12,399 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #156,540.
FAQ
Grasha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grasha?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Grasha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Grasha?
Grasha ranks #156,540 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 96 people with the surname Grasha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), 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 Grasha.
Has Grasha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grasha went from 115 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 19 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Grasha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grasha, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Grasha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grasha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Grasha (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 Grasha mean?
Russian surname derived from the Slavic word "grakh," meaning a person of haughty or arrogant demeanor. 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 Grasha (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 many people have the surname Grasha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.