2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Greinert
A locational surname originating from a place name, possibly derived from the German word "grein" meaning "boundary".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Greinert. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greinert 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Greinert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greinert, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greinert
The surname Greinert is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages in central Europe. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "grein," meaning "branch" or "twig," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a distinctive tree or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Greinert appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. The name is also found in various church records and legal documents from towns and villages across Germany, such as Greinert von Nürnberg, a merchant who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Greinert name became more widespread across German-speaking regions, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. Hans Greinert (1525-1590) was a prominent Lutheran theologian and reformer who worked closely with Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another notable figure was Anna Greinert (1628-1705), a celebrated painter and engraver from the city of Augsburg, renowned for her exquisite portraiture and religious artworks.
As the Greinert family spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Greiner, Greinert, and Greinartz. The name also found its way into place names, such as Greinertshausen, a small village in Bavaria, which likely took its name from an early settler or landowner with the Greinert surname.
In the 19th century, several notable individuals carried the Greinert name, including Wilhelm Greinert (1817-1892), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag, and Gustav Greinert (1864-1932), a renowned architect and urban planner known for his work in Berlin and other major German cities.
Throughout history, the Greinert surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, politicians, and professionals, reflecting the diverse contributions of those who bear this name of German origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greinert
Among Census respondents with the surname Greinert, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Greinert 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 Greinert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 106
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greinert
Greinert 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,224 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-18 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,224 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 17,072 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 Greinert 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 | #133,863 | #150,935 | -12.8% |
| Count | 126 | 108 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greinert bearers went from 126 to 108 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 17,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #150,935.
FAQ
Greinert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greinert?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Greinert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Greinert?
Greinert ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Greinert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Greinert.
Has Greinert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greinert went from 126 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Greinert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greinert, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%). 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 Greinert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greinert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Black (1.9%). 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 Greinert (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 Greinert mean?
A locational surname originating from a place name, possibly derived from the German word "grein" meaning "boundary". 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 Greinert (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 Greinert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.