2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grethen
A surname of German origin meaning "from Grethen", a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Grethen. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grethen 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Grethen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grethen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grethen
The surname GRETHEN is of German origin, first appearing in historical records as early as the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, deriving from the Old German word "grethan" meaning "to lament or mourn." This suggests the name may have initially been a descriptive surname given to someone known for their somber or melancholic demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GRETHEN name can be found in the Nuremberg Municipal Archives, where a Johannes Grethen is mentioned in a document dated 1387. In the late 15th century, the name appears in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, with a Hanns Grethen listed as a resident in 1492.
The GRETHEN surname has also been linked to various place names throughout Germany, such as the town of Grethenberg in Lower Saxony. It is possible that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who hailed from one of these places.
Notable individuals bearing the GRETHEN surname include Hans Grethen (1455-1522), a renowned German artist and woodcarver who worked on several churches and monasteries in Bavaria during the late Gothic period. Another significant figure was Johann Grethen (1612-1682), a Lutheran theologian and author who served as the rector of the University of Jena in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, a Katharina Grethen (1725-1804) gained recognition as a skilled weaver and textile artist in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau. Her intricate tapestries and embroidered works were highly sought after by local nobility and wealthy patrons.
Moving into the 19th century, there was a notable artist named Wilhelm Grethen (1846-1912) who specialized in landscape and genre paintings. Born in Düsseldorf, his works were exhibited in various galleries throughout Germany and Europe during his lifetime.
Finally, a more recent figure of note was the German chemist and physicist Max Grethen (1892-1975). He made significant contributions to the field of physical chemistry, particularly in the study of reaction kinetics and molecular structures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grethen
Among Census respondents with the surname Grethen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grethen 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 Grethen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 8
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grethen
Grethen 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-16 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 26,938 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 26,938 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,986 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 Grethen 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 | #160,975 | #152,989 | 5.0% |
| Count | 100 | 105 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grethen bearers went from 100 to 105 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #152,989.
FAQ
Grethen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grethen?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Grethen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Grethen?
Grethen ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Grethen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Grethen.
Has Grethen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grethen went from 100 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Grethen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grethen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Grethen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grethen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (7.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Grethen (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 Grethen mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "from Grethen", a place name. 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 Grethen (0.04 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 Grethen?
See how many people have the last name Grethen on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.