2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gricus
A surname derived from the personal name "Gregory", originating from the Greek name "Gregorios".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Gricus. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gricus 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Gricus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gricus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gricus
The surname GRICUS has its origins in the ancient Germanic language, stemming from the word "gric," which means "Greek." It is believed that the name first emerged in the late 10th century, during the time of the Byzantine Empire's influence in parts of Europe.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname GRICUS can be traced back to the Rhineland region of Germany, where it was likely given to individuals who had close ties or connections with Greek merchants or travelers passing through the area. Some historians suggest that the name may have also been used to identify individuals who had adopted aspects of Greek culture or language.
In the 12th century, a record of a man named Johannes Gricus appears in the Annals of the Abbey of Fulda, one of the oldest and most significant monasteries in Germany. This is one of the earliest known documented uses of the surname GRICUS.
During the Middle Ages, the GRICUS name spread across various parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and parts of modern-day Poland and Ukraine. In the 14th century, a merchant named Petrus Gricus was mentioned in the records of the Hanseatic League, an influential commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns.
One notable figure in history bearing the surname GRICUS was Georgius Gricus, a Greek-born scholar and theologian who lived in the late 15th century. He was known for his contributions to the Renaissance humanist movement and his work in translating ancient Greek texts into Latin.
Another individual of note was Johannes Gricus, a German-born artist and engraver who lived in the 16th century. His work was highly regarded during the Northern Renaissance period, and several of his engravings depicting religious scenes and landscapes can be found in museums across Europe.
In the 17th century, a Dutch merchant named Pieter Gricus was involved in the spice trade between the Netherlands and the East Indies. He was recorded as having established trade routes and business dealings with various ports in Southeast Asia.
During the 18th century, the GRICUS surname appeared in several historical records in Eastern Europe, including a mention of a Polish nobleman named Stefan Gricus, who was a prominent landowner and military commander during the partitions of Poland.
As the GRICUS name spread across different regions and cultures, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Grikus, Grycus, and Grycius, reflecting the linguistic influences and dialects of the areas where the name was adopted.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gricus
Among Census respondents with the surname Gricus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gricus 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 Gricus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 108
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gricus
Gricus 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,850 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-21 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,727 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 7,850 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 19,727 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 Gricus 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 | #127,494 | #147,221 | -15.5% |
| Count | 134 | 113 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -24.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gricus bearers went from 134 to 113 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 19,727 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #147,221.
FAQ
Gricus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gricus?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Gricus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Gricus?
Gricus ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Gricus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Gricus.
Has Gricus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gricus went from 134 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 21 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Gricus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gricus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Gricus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gricus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Gricus (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 Gricus mean?
A surname derived from the personal name "Gregory", originating from the Greek name "Gregorios". 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 Gricus (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 common is the surname Gricus?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Gricus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.