2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grassmuck
A German occupational surname referring to someone who collected grasses or lived near grassland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Grassmuck. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grassmuck 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Grassmuck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grassmuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grassmuck
The surname Grassmuck has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the combination of the German words "Gras" meaning grass and "Muck" meaning maggot or grub, suggesting a connection to agriculture or farming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grassmuck can be found in the parish records of the town of Wittenberg, in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The record dates back to the 16th century and mentions a certain Hans Grassmuck, a farmer who lived in the area.
In the 17th century, the Grassmuck name appears in several historical documents from the region of Bavaria, particularly in the town of Regensburg. One notable mention is of a Johann Grassmuck, a merchant who was involved in the local trade guilds.
As the Grassmuck family spread across different regions of Germany, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Grassmuck, Grasmuck, and Grasmuck. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that time.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Grassmuck outside of Germany can be found in the records of the Dutch East India Company from the late 17th century. A certain Pieter Grassmuck is mentioned as a sailor who sailed on one of the company's ships to the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia).
In the 18th century, the Grassmuck name appears in several military records from the Prussian Army. Notable individuals include Johann Wilhelm Grassmuck (1712-1786), a Prussian officer who fought in the Seven Years' War, and his son, Friedrich Wilhelm Grassmuck (1743-1821), who also served in the Prussian Army.
As the 19th century dawned, the Grassmuck name began to spread more widely across Europe and beyond. One notable individual was Carl Grassmuck (1818-1892), a German-American engineer who played a significant role in the development of early railroads in the United States.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Grassmuck (1845-1912), a German botanist and plant collector who made significant contributions to the study of flora in South America, particularly in Brazil and Argentina.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grassmuck
Among Census respondents with the surname Grassmuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grassmuck 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 Grassmuck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino12.1% · 14
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grassmuck
Grassmuck 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,464 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,464 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 192 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 Grassmuck 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 | #145,220 | #145,028 | 0.1% |
| Count | 114 | 116 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grassmuck bearers went from 114 to 116 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #145,028.
FAQ
Grassmuck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grassmuck?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Grassmuck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Grassmuck?
Grassmuck ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Grassmuck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Grassmuck.
Has Grassmuck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grassmuck went from 114 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Grassmuck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grassmuck, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Grassmuck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grassmuck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Hispanic (12.1%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Grassmuck (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 Grassmuck mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who collected grasses or lived near grassland. 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 Grassmuck (0.04 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 share the surname Grassmuck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.