Find out how popular the last name Grau is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Grau.

Grau, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Grau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grau in America

Grau is the 6353rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grau surname appeared 5,365 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Grau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grau to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Grau

The surname GRAU has its origins in the Catalan and Spanish-speaking regions of the Iberian Peninsula, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Latin word "grau," meaning "step" or "degree," which could have been used as a descriptive name for someone who lived on a slope or hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GRAU surname can be found in the 13th-century Catalan manuscript, the Llibre dels Fets, which chronicles the life and conquests of King James I of Aragon. Here, the name appears as "Grau," referring to individuals who played a role in the Reconquista.

In the 14th century, the GRAU surname began to appear in various records across the Catalan and Aragonese regions of Spain, suggesting its spread and establishment as a hereditary family name. Some notable early bearers of the name include Ramon Grau, a merchant from Barcelona mentioned in documents from 1328, and Bernat Grau, a landowner in the village of Riudoms in 1375.

As the name spread beyond the Iberian Peninsula, it adopted various spellings and forms, such as Graux in France and Grau in Italy. One notable figure bearing a variation of the name was Jacobus Grau (1453-1510), a Dutch Renaissance scholar and humanist who taught at the University of Cologne.

During the Age of Exploration, the GRAU surname was carried across the Atlantic by Spanish and Catalan settlers, taking root in the Americas. One notable bearer was Ramón Grau San Martín (1887-1969), a Cuban revolutionary and politician who served as the President of Cuba from 1944 to 1948.

Other notable individuals with the GRAU surname include:

1. Jacinto Grau (1877-1958), a Spanish painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraiture.
2. Juan Grau Alsina (1906-1995), a Spanish painter and sculptor associated with the Catalan Modernist movement.
3. Andrés Grau (born 1952), a Chilean writer and literary critic known for his works on Latin American literature.
4. Jorge Grau (1932-2018), a Spanish film director and screenwriter, best known for his horror films in the 1970s.
5. Olga Grau (born 1963), a Cuban-American artist and sculptor known for her public installations and abstract works.

While the GRAU surname has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread across the globe, carried by emigrants and adventurers throughout the centuries, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural and historical tapestry of various nations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grau

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Grau.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Grau was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Grau has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Grau was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Grau, please contact us.

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