2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Greisch
Of German origin, denoting someone from the village of Greisch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Greisch. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greisch 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Greisch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greisch, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greisch
The surname "GREISCH" is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Rhineland region of present-day western Germany. The name is likely derived from the Old High German word "greis," meaning "gray-haired" or "elderly."
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the parish records of the town of Boppard, located along the Rhine River. In 1587, a certain Hans Greisch was listed as a resident of the town. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by that time.
Another early reference to the Greisch surname appears in the records of the city of Mainz, dating back to the late 16th century. Here, the name is spelled slightly differently, appearing as "Greysch" or "Greisch." These variations in spelling were common during that era, as standardized spelling conventions had not yet been established.
In the 17th century, the Greisch name began to spread beyond the Rhineland region. Records show that families with this surname had settled in various parts of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. Some members of the Greisch family also migrated to neighboring regions, such as Switzerland and the Netherlands.
One notable historical figure with the surname Greisch was Johann Greisch, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Born in Mainz in 1578, he studied at the University of Heidelberg and later became a professor of mathematics at the University of Ingolstadt.
Another individual of note was Christoph Greisch, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 16th century. He was born in the town of Worms around 1555 and is known for his contributions to the development of German Renaissance music.
In the 18th century, the Greisch surname continued to spread throughout German-speaking regions. One person of interest from this period was Johann Georg Greisch, a German theologian and philosopher who was born in Nuremberg in 1712. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and wrote extensively on topics related to religion and ethics.
As the Greisch name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through various waves of immigration. For example, in the 19th century, families with the Greisch surname were among the many German immigrants who settled in the United States and Canada.
One notable individual from this period was Karl Greisch, a German-American writer and journalist who was born in Saxony in 1828. He immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and became involved in the literary and political circles of the German-American community in New York City.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greisch
Among Census respondents with the surname Greisch, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Greisch 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 Greisch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greisch
Greisch 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+3 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,714 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-16 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,017 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 5,714 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 16,017 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 Greisch 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 | #127,494 | #143,511 | -12.6% |
| Count | 134 | 118 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greisch bearers went from 134 to 118 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 16,017 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #143,511.
FAQ
Greisch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greisch?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Greisch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Greisch?
Greisch ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Greisch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Greisch.
Has Greisch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greisch went from 134 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 16 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Greisch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greisch, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Greisch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greisch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Greisch (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 Greisch mean?
Of German origin, denoting someone from the village of Greisch. 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 Greisch (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 are called Greisch?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Greisch on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.