Grieb last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Grieb

A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "grien" meaning "gravel" or "sand."

Grieb, 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 Grieb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grieb in America

Grieb is the 24049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grieb surname appeared 1,048 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 Grieb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grieb 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 24049 22283 7.62%
Count 1,048 1,079 -2.91%
Proportion per 100k 0.36 0.40 -10.53%

The history of the last name Grieb

The surname "GRIEB" is of German origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Middle High German word "griebe," which referred to a small village or settlement, suggesting that the name may have been derived from a place name.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the Duchy of Bavaria, where a "Johannes Grieb" was mentioned in a document from the year 1372. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by the late 14th century.

During the 15th century, the name appears to have spread across various parts of central and southern Germany. Records from the city of Nuremberg, for instance, mention a "Hans Grieb" who was a prominent merchant in the year 1468.

In the 16th century, the name seems to have gained some prominence, with several notable individuals bearing the surname "GRIEB." One such person was Martin Grieb (1527-1594), a Lutheran theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen.

Another significant figure was Johann Grieb (1582-1641), a German jurist and legal scholar who held the position of the mayor of Ulm, a prominent city in the region of Swabia. His contributions to the legal system of the time were widely recognized.

As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be found across various parts of Germany. In the 18th century, a notable figure was Johann Heinrich Grieb (1718-1792), a German philologist and lexicographer who authored several dictionaries and language guides.

Moving into the 19th century, one cannot overlook the accomplishments of Friedrich Grieb (1826-1895), a German-American educator and author who published a widely used German-English dictionary that became a standard reference work for many years.

Throughout its history, the surname "GRIEB" has also been associated with various place names and locations within Germany, such as the towns of Griebenow and Grieben, suggesting a possible connection between the name and specific geographic areas.

While the exact origin and meaning of the name "GRIEB" may still be subject to some speculation, its long-standing presence in German history and its association with notable individuals across various fields highlight its significance as a surname with deep roots in the cultural and linguistic traditions of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grieb

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

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 Grieb was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.80% 1,004
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.24% 13
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.24% 13
Hispanic Origin 1.53% 16

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 Grieb has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.80% 96.76% -1.00%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.24% 0.65% 62.43%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.24% 1.02% 19.47%
Hispanic 1.53% 1.30% 16.25%

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 Grieb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Grieb last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/grieb-surname-popularity/.

"Grieb last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/grieb-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Grieb last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/grieb-surname-popularity/.

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