2000
#6,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,468
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Grass
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in a grassy area or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,870 Americans carry the last name Grass. That puts it at #7,546 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,381 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grass 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Grass with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,381
Census rank
#7,546
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,247 bearers of the surname Grass in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7546th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grass, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grass
The surname Grass is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the word "gras" which means "grass" in German. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, given to someone who lived near a grassy area or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Grass surname can be found in the records of the town of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. In these records, a person named Hans Grass is listed as a citizen of the town in the year 1387.
Another early reference to the name Grass can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, Germany. In this collection, a person named Nikolaus Grass is mentioned in a legal document from the year 1412.
The Grass surname was also present in other areas of Germany during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. For example, in the town of Lübeck, a merchant named Johann Grass is recorded in the city's records from the year 1527.
One notable person with the surname Grass was Günter Grass, a German novelist, playwright, and artist, who was born in 1927 and died in 2015. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999 for his influential work, including the novels "The Tin Drum" and "Dog Years."
Another famous bearer of the Grass surname was Albert Grass, a German architect who lived from 1810 to 1892. He was known for his work on the construction of the Berlin Cathedral, which was completed in 1905.
In the 16th century, a person named Hans Grass was recorded as a citizen of the town of Strasbourg, France, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. This suggests that the name had spread beyond the borders of Germany during that period.
The surname Grass can also be found in historical records from other European countries, such as Austria and Switzerland, likely due to migration patterns and the movement of people across borders in the past.
Overall, the surname Grass has a long and rich history, dating back to the Middle Ages in Germany. It has been borne by notable individuals in various fields, including literature, architecture, and commerce, and has spread across different regions of Europe over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grass
Among Census respondents with the surname Grass, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grass 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 Grass surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 3,521
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.5% · 232
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 210
- Two or more races4.3% · 182
- Black or African American2.0% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grass
Grass 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
#7,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,567
+99 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 376 places
2020
#7,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,247
-320 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,925 | 4,468 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,301 | 4,567 | 1.55 | +99 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 376 places |
| 2020 | #7,546 | 4,247 | 1.42 | -320 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 245 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 Grass 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 | #7,301 | #7,546 | -3.4% |
| Count | 4,567 | 4,247 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.42 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grass bearers went from 4,567 to 4,247 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,301 to #7,546.
FAQ
Grass surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grass?
Name Census estimates that about 4,870 living Americans carry the surname Grass. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,381 residents.
How common is Grass?
Grass ranks #7,546 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,247 people with the surname Grass. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,870), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Grass.
Has Grass become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grass went from 4,567 recorded bearers to 4,247. That is a decrease of 320 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,301 to #7,546.
What does the Census say about the background of Grass?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grass, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Grass in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (3,521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grass appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Grass (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 Grass mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in a grassy area or meadow. 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 Grass (1.42 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 Grass?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.