2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grigoriev
A surname derived from the Russian given name Grigory, meaning "watchful."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Grigoriev. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grigoriev 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Grigoriev in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grigoriev, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grigoriev
The surname GRIGORIEV originates from Russia and traces its roots back to the medieval era. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the Russian given name Grigory, which itself comes from the Greek name Gregorios, meaning "watchful" or "vigilant."
GRIGORIEV is a common surname in many regions of Russia, particularly in the areas surrounding Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is believed to have emerged as a distinguishing surname during the 14th and 15th centuries, when the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread among the Russian nobility and urban classes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GRIGORIEV can be found in the "Velvet Book," a 16th-century manuscript that documented the noble families of Russia. The name appears in various spellings, such as Grigoriev, Grigoriyev, and Grigoryev, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and transliteration common during that time.
In the late 17th century, a prominent figure named Andrei Grigoriev (1630-1703) rose to prominence as a skilled diplomat and statesman in the court of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Grigoriev played a significant role in negotiating treaties and fostering diplomatic relations with neighboring countries.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Apollon Grigoriev (1822-1864), a renowned Russian literary critic and poet. He was a prominent figure in the "era of great reforms" in Russia and is remembered for his influential critiques of the works of writers like Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov.
During the 19th century, the surname GRIGORIEV was associated with several prominent military figures. Ivan Grigoriev (1792-1854) was a highly decorated Russian general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829. Sergei Grigoriev (1866-1930) was a distinguished cavalry officer and military theorist who made significant contributions to the development of Russian cavalry tactics.
In the realm of science, Nikolai Grigoriev (1873-1939) was a renowned Russian geologist and mineralogist. He made important discoveries in the field of mineralogy and was elected as a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1929.
While the surname GRIGORIEV has its origins in Russia, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, its roots and historical significance remain closely tied to the rich cultural and historical heritage of Russia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grigoriev
Among Census respondents with the surname Grigoriev, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grigoriev 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 Grigoriev surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grigoriev
Grigoriev appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,531 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 Grigoriev 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 | #142,108 | #151,639 | -6.7% |
| Count | 117 | 107 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grigoriev bearers went from 117 to 107 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,531 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #151,639.
FAQ
Grigoriev surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grigoriev?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Grigoriev. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Grigoriev?
Grigoriev ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Grigoriev. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Grigoriev.
Has Grigoriev become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grigoriev went from 117 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Grigoriev?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grigoriev, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Grigoriev in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grigoriev appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Grigoriev (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 Grigoriev mean?
A surname derived from the Russian given name Grigory, meaning "watchful." 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 Grigoriev (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 Grigoriev?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.