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

Griest, 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 Griest surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Griest in America

Griest is the 30735th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Griest surname appeared 758 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 Griest.

We can also compare 2010 data for Griest 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.

The history of the last name Griest

The surname Griest is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "gries," which means "gravel" or "sand." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived near a sandy or gravelly area.

In the late 16th century, a record of a Johann Griest was found in the town of Wernigerode, located in the present-day German state of Saxony-Anhalt. This is one of the earliest documented instances of the surname.

During the 17th century, the name began to spread across various regions of Germany, with various spellings such as Griese, Gries, and Griess being used interchangeably. One notable individual from this period was Hans Griese, a merchant from the city of Leipzig, who was born in 1621 and died in 1687.

As the name continued to evolve, it also found its way into other European countries, particularly in areas with strong German influence. In the 18th century, a record of a Peter Griest was found in the Netherlands, born in 1732.

In the 19th century, the surname gained prominence in the United States, likely due to German immigration. One of the most notable individuals bearing this name was Samuel Griest, a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War, who was born in 1835 and died in 1892.

Another significant figure was John Michael Griest, an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania, who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1899 to 1903. He was born in 1841 and died in 1904.

Throughout its history, the surname Griest has also been associated with various place names, such as Griesheim, a town in the German state of Hesse, and Griesbach, a municipality in Bavaria. These place names may have contributed to the further spread and variation of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Griest

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

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 Griest was:

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

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

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

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