2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gretsinger
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grassy pasture or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Gretsinger. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gretsinger 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Gretsinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gretsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gretsinger
The surname Gretsinger is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. The name dates back to the Middle Ages, likely emerging in the 13th or 14th century.
The name Gretsinger is thought to be derived from a combination of the German word "Gret," which was a diminutive form of the name Margaret, and the suffix "-singer," indicating an occupation or profession related to singing or music. It is possible that the earliest bearers of this surname were singers, musicians, or members of a choir or musical group.
While there is limited historical documentation from this period, the name Gretsinger appears to have been present in various German-speaking regions during the late medieval and early modern periods. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in church records, tax rolls, and other official documents from the 16th and 17th centuries.
One notable early bearer of the Gretsinger name was Hans Gretsinger, a musician and composer who lived in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, in the late 15th century. His compositions and works were renowned throughout the region, and he is considered one of the earliest known musicians to bear the Gretsinger surname.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Johann Gretsinger, a scholar and theologian who lived in the city of Strasbourg, France (then part of the Holy Roman Empire), in the early 17th century. He was a prolific writer and contributed significantly to the development of Protestant theology during the Reformation era.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Gretsinger family settled in the region of Saxony, Germany, where they became involved in the brewing industry. One notable figure from this branch was Friedrich Gretsinger (1722-1797), a master brewer who established a successful brewery in the city of Leipzig.
As the Gretsinger family spread across German-speaking lands, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some alternative spellings included Gretzinger, Gretzener, and Gretzner, among others. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic differences within the German language.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals bearing the Gretsinger surname emigrated from Germany and other parts of Europe to various countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. This diaspora further contributed to the geographical spread and diversity of the Gretsinger name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gretsinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Gretsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gretsinger 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 Gretsinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino10.1% · 10
- Black or African American9.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gretsinger
Gretsinger 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 791 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-15 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,785 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 791 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 10,785 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 Gretsinger 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 | #145,220 | #156,005 | -7.4% |
| Count | 114 | 99 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gretsinger bearers went from 114 to 99 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 10,785 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #156,005.
FAQ
Gretsinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gretsinger?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Gretsinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Gretsinger?
Gretsinger ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Gretsinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Gretsinger.
Has Gretsinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gretsinger went from 114 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 15 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Gretsinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gretsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.1%) and Black (9.1%). 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 Gretsinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gretsinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Hispanic (10.1%), Black (9.1%). 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 Gretsinger (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 Gretsinger mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grassy pasture or meadow. 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 Gretsinger (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 Americans have the surname Gretsinger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.