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

Grebe, 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 Grebe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grebe in America

Grebe is the 20829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grebe surname appeared 1,267 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Grebe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grebe 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 Grebe

The surname Grebe has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle Low German word "greve," which means a reeve or a bailiff, an administrative position in medieval times. The name was likely an occupational surname, given to those who held this position or were associated with it.

In the early 14th century, the name Grebe appeared in various records and documents across German-speaking regions, including the Rhineland and Bavaria. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiae Coloniensis, a collection of charters and deeds from the Archbishopric of Cologne, dated around 1320.

As the name spread across different regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Greb, Greben, and Grebin. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal practices of the time.

The surname Grebe has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One prominent figure was Johann Grebe (1567-1624), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a councilor to the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg. His work, "Tractatus de Jure Feudali," published in 1601, became an influential text on feudal law.

Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Grebe (1785-1857), a German Protestant theologian and author. He wrote extensively on religious subjects and was known for his work "Commentar über das Evangelium des Johannes" (Commentary on the Gospel of John), published in 1823.

In the realm of art, Carl Grebe (1843-1911) was a German painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life. His works are housed in various museums, including the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

The name Grebe has also been associated with certain place names in Germany, such as Grebenhain, a town in the state of Hesse, and Grebenstein, a municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia. These place names likely derived from the surname, indicating areas where individuals with the name Grebe may have resided or held positions of authority.

Finally, it is worth mentioning Johann Ernst Grebe (1804-1888), a German-American physician and naturalist who emigrated to the United States in the 19th century. He made significant contributions to the study of ornithology and was particularly interested in the family of birds known as grebes, which may have been a coincidental connection to his surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grebe

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

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 Grebe 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 Grebe 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 Grebe was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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