2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grbavac
A Croatian surname derived from the word "grba" meaning "hunchback" or "humpbacked".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 143 Americans carry the last name Grbavac. That puts it at #138,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,396,883 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grbavac 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
143
1 in 2,396,883
Census rank
#138,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
125
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 125 bearers of the surname Grbavac in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 138300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grbavac, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grbavac
The surname Grbavac originates from Croatia and is believed to have emerged in the 15th century. It is derived from the Croatian word "grba," which means "hunchback," suggesting that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a physical deformity or a hunched back.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Grbavac can be found in historical documents from the region of Dalmatia, particularly in the coastal towns of Split and Dubrovnik. These records date back to the late 15th and early 16th centuries, indicating that the name was already in use during that time period.
One notable early mention of the name Grbavac appears in a 16th-century manuscript from the Dubrovnik archives, which documents a legal dispute involving a merchant named Petar Grbavac. This provides evidence of the surname's existence and usage within the context of early modern Croatian society.
In the 17th century, the Grbavac family gained prominence in the town of Imotski, located in the hinterland of Dalmatia. Historical records from this period mention several individuals bearing the surname, including Ivan Grbavac (1625-1699), a respected local landowner and community leader.
Another notable figure with the surname Grbavac was Ante Grbavac (1780-1854), a Croatian writer and poet from the city of Split. He is renowned for his contributions to the Illyrian movement, which aimed to promote the cultural and linguistic unity of the South Slavic peoples.
As the Grbavac surname spread throughout Croatia, it also found its way into neighboring regions, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. One example is Marko Grbavac (1865-1932), a Bosnian Serb writer and journalist who was born in the town of Travnik.
In the 20th century, the Grbavac name gained further recognition with individuals like Ivo Grbavac (1923-2003), a Croatian artist and sculptor known for his abstract works, and Ante Grbavac (1928-2018), a prominent Croatian lawyer and legal scholar.
While the surname Grbavac has its roots in Croatia, it has also been found in other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and notable individuals mentioned above demonstrate the name's strong connection to its Croatian origins and its long-standing presence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grbavac
Among Census respondents with the surname Grbavac, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grbavac 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 Grbavac surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grbavac
Grbavac 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
+21 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 8,755 places
2020
#138,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-12 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,018 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | +21 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 8,755 places |
| 2020 | #138,300 | 125 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 13,018 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 Grbavac 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 | #125,282 | #138,300 | -10.4% |
| Count | 137 | 125 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grbavac bearers went from 137 to 125 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 13,018 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #138,300.
FAQ
Grbavac surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grbavac?
Name Census estimates that about 143 living Americans carry the surname Grbavac. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,396,883 residents.
How common is Grbavac?
Grbavac ranks #138,300 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 125 people with the surname Grbavac. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (143), 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 Grbavac.
Has Grbavac become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grbavac went from 137 recorded bearers to 125. That is a decrease of 12 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #138,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Grbavac?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grbavac, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Grbavac in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grbavac appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Grbavac (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 Grbavac mean?
A Croatian surname derived from the word "grba" meaning "hunchback" or "humpbacked". 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 Grbavac (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 Americans have the surname Grbavac?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.