2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Griesmeyer
A German surname derived from occupational and topographical roots meaning a miller or from a mill or gravel pit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Griesmeyer. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Griesmeyer 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Griesmeyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Griesmeyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Griesmeyer
The surname Griesmeyer originated in Germany in the 16th century. It is derived from the Middle High German words "grie" meaning "gravel" or "sand" and "meyer" meaning "farmer" or "landowner." This suggests that the name may have originated from someone who owned or worked on a sandy or gravelly piece of land.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Griesmeier, found in documents from the town of Heilbronn in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the late 1500s. Other early variations include Griessmayer, Griesmair, and Griesmüller.
In the 17th century, the name Griesmeyer is found in records from various parts of southern and central Germany, including Bavaria, Hesse, and Saxony. This suggests that the name may have spread from its original region in Baden-Württemberg to other areas during this time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Griesmeyer was Hans Griesmeyer, born in 1612 in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria. Another notable early bearer of the name was Johann Griesmeyer, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Erbach in Hesse in the late 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name Griesmeyer began to appear in records from other parts of Europe, including Austria and Switzerland, likely due to migration and the movement of people during this period. One notable individual from this time was Peter Griesmeyer, a merchant from Vienna, Austria, who lived from 1732 to 1801.
As the 19th century progressed, the name Griesmeyer became more widespread, with bearers of the name found in various parts of Germany, as well as in other European countries and even in North America, where German immigrants had settled. One prominent individual with this name was Karl Griesmeyer, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1814 to 1896.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Griesmeyer, a German artist and illustrator who was born in 1854 and died in 1924. His works included illustrations for books and magazines, as well as paintings and etchings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Griesmeyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Griesmeyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Griesmeyer 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 Griesmeyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 102
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Griesmeyer
Griesmeyer 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+11 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,367 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-8 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 1,367 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 9,308 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 Griesmeyer 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 | #136,449 | #145,757 | -6.8% |
| Count | 123 | 115 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Griesmeyer bearers went from 123 to 115 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 9,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,757.
FAQ
Griesmeyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Griesmeyer?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Griesmeyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Griesmeyer?
Griesmeyer ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Griesmeyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Griesmeyer.
Has Griesmeyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Griesmeyer went from 123 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Griesmeyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Griesmeyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Griesmeyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Griesmeyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (6.1%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Griesmeyer (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 Griesmeyer mean?
A German surname derived from occupational and topographical roots meaning a miller or from a mill or gravel pit. 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 Griesmeyer (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 share the surname Griesmeyer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.