2000
#32,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 667
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Greninger
A German surname derived from a placename referring to someone who lived near a distinctive boundary or border.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 798 Americans carry the last name Greninger. That puts it at #34,947 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 429,517 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greninger 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
798
1 in 429,517
Census rank
#34,947
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
696
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 696 bearers of the surname Greninger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34947th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greninger, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greninger
The surname Greninger is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Grenze," which means "border" or "frontier." This suggests that the name may have been given to those who lived near or worked as guards at the borders or frontiers of medieval German territories.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Greninger can be found in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Lexikon (German Family Names Lexicon), which dates back to the 13th century. This reference suggests that the name was initially concentrated in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, where it was commonly associated with individuals living in or near border towns and villages.
In the 15th century, the name Greninger appeared in various historical documents, including tax records and land registries. One notable example is the mention of a Hans Greninger, a farmer who lived in the village of Hüttenrode, near the border between Saxony and Thuringia, in the year 1472.
As the years passed, the name Greninger spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. In the 16th century, a family by the name of Greninger settled in the town of Mühlhausen, in present-day Thuringia. This branch of the family produced several notable figures, including Johann Greninger (1525-1592), a renowned theologian and author.
Another prominent individual bearing the surname Greninger was Friedrich Greninger (1701-1768), a German philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Jena. His works on ethics and education were highly regarded during his time.
In the 19th century, the name Greninger gained recognition in the realm of literature with the German writer and poet Karl Greninger (1828-1901). His works, which often explored themes of nature and rural life, were widely popular in his native Saxony.
As the centuries passed, the Greninger surname continued to spread across Europe and beyond, with descendants of the original German families settling in various parts of the world. However, the name's roots can be traced back to the border regions of medieval Germany, where it first emerged as a reflection of the geographic and occupational origins of those who bore it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greninger
Among Census respondents with the surname Greninger, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Greninger 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 Greninger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 586
- Two or more races8.8% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.2% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greninger
Greninger 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
#33,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 693
+26 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 548 places
2020
#34,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 696
+3 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 1,911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,488 | 667 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,036 | 693 | 0.23 | +26 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 548 places |
| 2020 | #34,947 | 696 | 0.23 | +3 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 1,911 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 Greninger 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 | #33,036 | #34,947 | -5.8% |
| Count | 693 | 696 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.23 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greninger bearers went from 693 to 696 (+0.4% change). The surname moved down 1,911 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,036 to #34,947.
FAQ
Greninger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greninger?
Name Census estimates that about 798 living Americans carry the surname Greninger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 429,517 residents.
How common is Greninger?
Greninger ranks #34,947 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 696 people with the surname Greninger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (798), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Greninger.
Has Greninger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greninger went from 693 recorded bearers to 696. That is an increase of 3 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,036 to #34,947.
What does the Census say about the background of Greninger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greninger, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.2%). 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 Greninger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (586 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greninger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Two or More Races (8.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.2%). 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 Greninger (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 Greninger mean?
A German surname derived from a placename referring to someone who lived near a distinctive boundary or border. 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 Greninger (0.23 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 Greninger?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Greninger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.