2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gratsch
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a ditch or trench.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Gratsch. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gratsch 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Gratsch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gratsch
The surname GRATSCH has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas around modern-day Switzerland and Germany. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name GRATSCH is thought to derive from an older German word, "Gratz," which referred to a small stream or creek. This suggests that the name may have originally been a topographic surname, given to someone who lived near a particular stream or watercourse.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GRATSCH can be found in a Swiss census record from the year 1467, which lists a certain Hans Gratsch as a resident of the village of Glarus. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various legal documents and property records throughout German-speaking Europe. For example, a Johann Gratsch was listed as a landowner in the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, in 1532.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several individuals bearing the surname GRATSCH achieved notable positions within their communities. For instance, Matthias Gratsch (1615-1684) was a respected merchant and burgher in the city of Zurich, while Jakob Gratsch (1722-1798) was a prominent theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.
As the centuries progressed, the name GRATSCH spread to other parts of Europe through migration and trade. One noteworthy individual was the Polish-born artist Franciszek Gratsch (1826-1891), who was known for his landscape paintings and worked primarily in the Romantic style.
Another prominent figure was the Austrian military officer and writer August Gratsch (1859-1923), who served in various campaigns during the late 19th century and later published memoirs detailing his experiences in the Austro-Hungarian army.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Grätsch, Grätsche, and Grätschel, have also been documented throughout history, likely due to regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gratsch
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gratsch 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 Gratsch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 92
- Two or more races5.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gratsch
Gratsch 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,151 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-5 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 775 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 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 14,151 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 775 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 Gratsch 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 | #154,907 | #155,682 | -0.5% |
| Count | 105 | 100 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gratsch bearers went from 105 to 100 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 775 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #155,682.
FAQ
Gratsch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gratsch?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Gratsch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Gratsch?
Gratsch ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Gratsch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Gratsch.
Has Gratsch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gratsch went from 105 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Gratsch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gratsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gratsch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gratsch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gratsch (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 Gratsch mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a ditch or trench. 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 Gratsch (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 share the surname Gratsch?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.