2000
#14,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,936
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Gries
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic surname referring to someone who lived near gravel or sandy soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,140 Americans carry the last name Gries. That puts it at #15,162 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gries 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
2.1K
1 in 160,166
Census rank
#15,162
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,866 bearers of the surname Gries in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15162nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gries, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gries
The surname GRIES originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "gries," meaning "gravel" or "pebbly ground." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on land with a gravelly or sandy soil.
One of the earliest documented instances of the GRIES name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dated around 1200 AD. This record mentions a person named "Henricus de Griese," indicating that the name was already in use at that time.
In the 14th century, the name GRIES appeared in various town and village records across Germany, particularly in the regions of Rhineland, Saxony, and Franconia. For instance, a man named "Hans Gryes" is recorded as a resident of the town of Mainz in 1356.
The GRIES surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Johann Gries (1579-1622), a German theologian and writer who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and authored several influential works on theology and philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Johann Dietrich Gries (1775-1842), a German poet and translator who played a significant role in introducing the works of Lord Byron and other English poets to German audiences. He is particularly known for his translations of Byron's poems, which helped popularize the Romantic movement in German literature.
In the 19th century, the GRIES name gained further recognition with Friedrich Gries (1801-1873), a German artist and engraver. He was renowned for his landscape paintings and engravings, many of which depicted scenes from the Rhineland region.
Additionally, the GRIES surname has been associated with several place names throughout Germany. For example, the village of Griesen in Saxony is believed to have derived its name from the GRIES surname, indicating the presence of families bearing this name in the area.
As the GRIES surname spread across Europe, it also appeared in various spellings and variations, such as Griess, Griese, and Gryse. These variations often reflected regional dialects and language differences, but they all trace their origins back to the original German name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gries
Among Census respondents with the surname Gries, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gries 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 Gries surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,716
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 70
- Two or more races2.1% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gries
Gries 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
#14,474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,063
+127 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 255 places
2020
#15,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,866
-197 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 688 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,219 | 1,936 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,474 | 2,063 | 0.70 | +127 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 255 places |
| 2020 | #15,162 | 1,866 | 0.62 | -197 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 688 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 Gries 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 | #14,474 | #15,162 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,063 | 1,866 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.62 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gries bearers went from 2,063 to 1,866 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 688 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,474 to #15,162.
FAQ
Gries surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gries?
Name Census estimates that about 2,140 living Americans carry the surname Gries. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,166 residents.
How common is Gries?
Gries ranks #15,162 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,866 people with the surname Gries. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gries.
Has Gries become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gries went from 2,063 recorded bearers to 1,866. That is a decrease of 197 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,474 to #15,162.
What does the Census say about the background of Gries?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gries, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Gries in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,716 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gries appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Gries (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 Gries mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) topographic surname referring to someone who lived near gravel or sandy soil. 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 Gries (0.62 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 Gries?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.