2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grindberg
A Swedish occupational surname derived from "grind" meaning fence or barrier and "berg" meaning mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Grindberg. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grindberg 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Grindberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grindberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grindberg
The surname Grindberg is of Swedish origin, and it can be traced back to the 17th century. The name is derived from the Swedish words "grind," meaning "gate" or "fence," and "berg," meaning "mountain" or "hill." It is believed that the name originated in the mountainous regions of central Sweden, where the earliest bearers of the name lived near gates or fences situated on hills or mountainsides.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Grindberg can be found in the Swedish church records from the late 1600s. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johan Grindberg, a farmer who lived in the village of Mora, Dalarna, in the late 17th century. Another early record mentions a soldier named Erik Grindberg, who served in the Swedish army during the Great Northern War (1700-1721).
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Grindberg name appeared in various parts of Sweden, particularly in the central and northern regions. Some notable individuals with the surname include Carl Grindberg (1777-1854), a Swedish theologian and writer, and Vilhelm Grindberg (1829-1896), a prominent Swedish landscape painter.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Swedes emigrated to North America, including some families with the Grindberg surname. One of the earliest Grindberg immigrants to the United States was Nils Grindberg, who arrived in Minnesota in 1868. Another notable Grindberg immigrant was Carl Johan Grindberg (1842-1912), a Swedish-American businessman and philanthropist who settled in Chicago.
Other notable individuals with the Grindberg surname include Inga-Lill Grindberg (1929-2018), a Swedish author and illustrator of children's books, and Claes Grindberg (born 1944), a Swedish actor and filmmaker.
While the Grindberg name is relatively uncommon, it has a long and interesting history that can be traced back to the rural regions of central Sweden centuries ago. The name's origins reflect the geographical features of the area where it originated, and it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout Swedish and Swedish-American history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grindberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Grindberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grindberg 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 Grindberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 111
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grindberg
Grindberg 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,931 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 Grindberg 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 | #146,201 | #144,270 | 1.3% |
| Count | 113 | 117 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grindberg bearers went from 113 to 117 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #144,270.
FAQ
Grindberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grindberg?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Grindberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Grindberg?
Grindberg ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Grindberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Grindberg.
Has Grindberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grindberg went from 113 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Grindberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grindberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Grindberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grindberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Grindberg (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 Grindberg mean?
A Swedish occupational surname derived from "grind" meaning fence or barrier and "berg" meaning mountain. 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 Grindberg (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 Grindberg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.