2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gredvig
A Scandinavian surname potentially meaning "green village" or "green meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Gredvig. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gredvig 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Gredvig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gredvig, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gredvig
The surname GREDVIG is of Scandinavian origin, tracing its roots back to the coastal regions of Norway and Sweden during the Viking era. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive name, derived from the Old Norse words "greið" and "vig," which collectively translate to "cleared bay" or "inlet."
One of the earliest known references to the name GREDVIG can be found in the Landnámabók, a medieval Icelandic manuscript dating back to the 12th century. This text chronicles the settlement of Iceland by Norse settlers, and it includes mentions of individuals bearing variations of the GREDVIG name.
The name GREDVIG has also been linked to various place names throughout Scandinavia, particularly in regions where Norse settlers established communities. For instance, the village of Gredviken in southern Sweden is believed to have been named after an individual with the GREDVIG surname, reflecting the close connection between surnames and geographic locations during that time.
Notable individuals who have carried the GREDVIG surname throughout history include:
1. Olav Gredvig (1695-1772), a prominent Norwegian merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the development of maritime trade in the region.
2. Ingrid Gredvig (1810-1888), a Swedish author and poet known for her lyrical works that celebrated the beauty of nature and the rural Scandinavian landscape.
3. Bjorn Gredvig (1865-1942), a Norwegian explorer and cartographer who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions, contributing valuable maps and geographic data.
4. Astrid Gredvig (1920-2005), a renowned Norwegian sculptor whose works are featured in numerous public spaces and museums across Scandinavia.
5. Lars Gredvig (1953-present), a Swedish entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded a successful technology company and has been actively involved in various charitable initiatives.
While the GREDVIG surname has its origins in the Viking era and early medieval period, it has endured through the centuries, with descendants carrying on the name and its rich historical legacy across Scandinavia and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gredvig
Among Census respondents with the surname Gredvig, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gredvig 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 Gredvig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 110
- Two or more races7.4% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gredvig
Gredvig 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,460 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,460 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 4,892 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 Gredvig 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 | #146,201 | #141,309 | 3.3% |
| Count | 113 | 121 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gredvig bearers went from 113 to 121 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 4,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #141,309.
FAQ
Gredvig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gredvig?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Gredvig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Gredvig?
Gredvig ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Gredvig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Gredvig.
Has Gredvig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gredvig went from 113 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 8 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Gredvig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gredvig, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and Hispanic (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 Gredvig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gredvig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (7.4%), Hispanic (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 Gredvig (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 Gredvig mean?
A Scandinavian surname potentially meaning "green village" or "green meadow". 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 Gredvig (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 have the surname Gredvig?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.