2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Greschner
A locational or topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or forest area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 159 Americans carry the last name Greschner. That puts it at #128,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,155,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greschner 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
159
1 in 2,155,688
Census rank
#128,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
139
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 139 bearers of the surname Greschner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 128411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greschner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greschner
The surname Greschner is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the 14th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "grësch," which referred to a reed or marsh plant, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Greschner surname can be found in the Bavarian town of Nuremberg in the late 1300s, where a certain Hans Greschner was mentioned in municipal records as a landowner. This indicates that the family had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Greschner, Gräschner, and Gräscher, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that period. These variations likely stemmed from the regional dialects and the lack of standardized orthography.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Greschner family spread to other parts of Germany, with records showing members of the family living in cities like Leipzig and Berlin. One notable figure from this era was Johann Greschner, a prominent merchant born in Nuremberg in 1578, who played a significant role in establishing trade routes between Germany and the Netherlands.
As the surname continued to evolve, it took on different forms in different regions. For instance, in the southwestern region of Germany, the name was sometimes spelled as Gräschner or Grächner, reflecting the local dialect.
In the 18th century, the Greschner family produced several notable figures, including Johann Georg Greschner, a renowned philosopher and educator born in Saxony in 1724. His contributions to the field of education earned him recognition throughout Germany and beyond.
Another prominent individual bearing the Greschner name was Karl Greschner, a military officer born in Prussia in 1802. He achieved the rank of general and played a crucial role in the Prussian Army's campaigns during the mid-19th century.
As German immigration to other parts of the world increased in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Greschner surname spread to various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, it remains most prevalent in Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greschner
Among Census respondents with the surname Greschner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Greschner 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 Greschner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 124
- Two or more races8.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greschner
Greschner 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+38 bearers (+34.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 22,277 places
2020
#128,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-9 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +38 bearers (+34.5%) | Up 22,277 places |
| 2020 | #128,411 | 139 | 0.05 | -9 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 10,931 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 Greschner 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 | #117,480 | #128,411 | -9.3% |
| Count | 148 | 139 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greschner bearers went from 148 to 139 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 10,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #128,411.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Greschner
FAQ
Greschner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greschner?
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the surname Greschner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,155,688 residents.
How common is Greschner?
Greschner ranks #128,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 139 people with the surname Greschner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Greschner.
Has Greschner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greschner went from 148 recorded bearers to 139. That is a decrease of 9 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #128,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Greschner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greschner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Greschner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greschner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (8.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Greschner (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 Greschner mean?
A locational or topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or forest area. 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 Greschner (0.05 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 Greschner?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Greschner? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.