2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Greten
Of Germanic origin, a surname potentially related to a small creek or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Greten. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greten 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Greten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greten, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greten
The surname Greten originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Gret or Gretchen, which is a diminutive form of the name Margaret. The name Margaret itself is derived from the Greek word "margarites," meaning pearl.
Greten is believed to have first appeared in records in the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a person named Gretchen von Bautzen is mentioned in the year 1287.
During the 14th century, the name Greten became more widespread across various German states. In 1372, a record from the city of Nuremberg mentions a merchant named Hans Greten, who was involved in the trade of spices and silk.
In the 15th century, the surname Greten appeared in several other historical records, including the Stadtbuch von Augsburg, a municipal book from the city of Augsburg, where a baker named Peter Greten is listed as a resident in 1459.
One notable individual with the surname Greten was Johann Greten, a German theologian and reformer born in 1484 in Esslingen. He was an early supporter of Martin Luther's Reformation and played a significant role in the spread of Protestant teachings in southern Germany.
Another prominent figure was Anna Greten, a German painter born in 1524 in Nuremberg. She was renowned for her portraits and religious paintings, and her works can be found in several museums across Europe.
In the 17th century, the surname Greten is documented in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a family of winemakers named Greten is mentioned as early as 1612.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Germany can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where a merchant named Pieter Greten is listed in the city records of Leeuwarden in 1673.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Greten has been associated with various professions and trades, including merchants, artisans, and farmers. While the name is predominantly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond due to migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greten
Among Census respondents with the surname Greten, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Greten 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 Greten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greten
Greten 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,288 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,862 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 15,288 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 1,862 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 Greten 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 | #156,044 | #154,182 | 1.2% |
| Count | 104 | 103 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greten bearers went from 104 to 103 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 1,862 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #154,182.
FAQ
Greten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greten?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Greten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Greten?
Greten ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Greten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Greten.
Has Greten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greten went from 104 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Greten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greten, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Greten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Greten (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 Greten mean?
Of Germanic origin, a surname potentially related to a small creek or stream. 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 Greten (0.03 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 Greten?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Greten on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.