Find out how popular the last name Gretchen is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gretchen.

Gretchen, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gretchen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gretchen in America

Gretchen is the 116829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gretchen surname appeared 149 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gretchen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gretchen to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gretchen

The surname Gretchen originated in Germany and is derived from the Germanic root word "gred," meaning "greedy" or "covetous." The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gretchen can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region that is now modern-day Germany. In a charter dated 1247, a certain "Heinricus Gretchen" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the town of Mainz.

The surname Gretchen may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone perceived as greedy or acquisitive. Over time, it became a hereditary surname passed down through generations. In some regions, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Gretchen, Gretschen, or Gretchin.

During the 16th century, the surname Gretchen gained prominence through the works of the renowned German author and scholar, Johannes Gretchen (1494-1576). Born in Erfurt, Gretchen was a prominent figure in the German Renaissance and is best known for his groundbreaking work in the field of astronomy.

Another notable figure with the surname Gretchen was Hans Gretchen (1567-1623), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes were highly acclaimed in his time and are now housed in various museums across Europe.

In the 18th century, the Gretchen family established themselves as successful merchants and traders in the city of Hamburg. One member of this family, Johann Gretchen (1712-1783), was a prominent businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and hospitals in the city.

The 19th century saw the emergence of Wilhelm Gretchen (1816-1892), a German philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy. His writings on educational reform and child-centered learning influenced generations of teachers and scholars.

Throughout history, the surname Gretchen has been associated with various place names and locations in Germany, such as Gretchen am Rhein, Gretchendorf, and Gretchenau, reflecting the widespread distribution of this surname across different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gretchen

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gretchen.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gretchen was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gretchen has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gretchen was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gretchen, please contact us.

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