2000
#44,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 450
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Grelle
A German surname derived from the adjective "grell" meaning "bright" or "glaring".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 509 Americans carry the last name Grelle. That puts it at #50,816 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 673,388 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grelle 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
509
1 in 673,388
Census rank
#50,816
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
444
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 444 bearers of the surname Grelle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 50816th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grelle
The surname GRELLE is of German origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "grell," which means "shrill" or "piercing." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone with a loud or high-pitched voice.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the city of Cologne, where a person named Henricus Grelle was mentioned in a document dated 1292. The name also appeared in various other German regions, such as Bavaria and Saxony, during the 14th and 15th centuries.
In the 16th century, the GRELLE surname can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg. A notable individual from this time was Hans Grelle, a merchant and member of the city council who lived from 1530 to 1598.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, including Grell, Grelle, and Grälle. In the 17th century, a family bearing the name GRELLE settled in the Netherlands, where they became prominent merchants and landowners.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname GRELLE was the German painter Eduard Grelle (1800-1886), known for his historical and genre paintings. Another notable figure was the German author and poet Wilhelm Grelle (1817-1888), who wrote several works of fiction and poetry.
In the 19th century, the GRELLE surname can be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in other European countries where German immigrants settled. For example, a family named GRELLE established themselves in the town of Grevenbicht in the Netherlands, where they owned a successful brewery.
Moving into the 20th century, the name GRELLE gained recognition through the work of the German architect and urban planner Ernst Grelle (1888-1964), who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Berlin after World War II.
While the GRELLE surname is not among the most common in Germany or other parts of Europe, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and encompasses individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artists, writers, and architects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grelle
Among Census respondents with the surname Grelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Grelle 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 Grelle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 395
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 25
- Two or more races4.3% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grelle
Grelle 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
#47,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 449
-1 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 2,377 places
2020
#50,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 444
-5 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 3,544 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,895 | 450 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #47,272 | 449 | 0.15 | -1 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 2,377 places |
| 2020 | #50,816 | 444 | 0.15 | -5 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 3,544 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 Grelle 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 | #47,272 | #50,816 | -7.5% |
| Count | 449 | 444 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.15 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grelle bearers went from 449 to 444 (-1.1% change). The surname moved down 3,544 positions in the national ranking, going from #47,272 to #50,816.
FAQ
Grelle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grelle?
Name Census estimates that about 509 living Americans carry the surname Grelle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 673,388 residents.
How common is Grelle?
Grelle ranks #50,816 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 444 people with the surname Grelle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (509), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Grelle.
Has Grelle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grelle went from 449 recorded bearers to 444. That is a decrease of 5 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #47,272 to #50,816.
What does the Census say about the background of Grelle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Grelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grelle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Grelle (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 Grelle mean?
A German surname derived from the adjective "grell" meaning "bright" or "glaring". 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 Grelle (0.15 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 Grelle?
Want to know how many people have the last name Grelle? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.