Grinde
A topographic surname referring to one who lived near a stream.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 617 Americans carry the last name Grinde. That puts it at #40,672 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 555,518 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grinde surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
617
1 in 555,518
Census rank
#40,672
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
537
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 537 bearers of the surname Grinde in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40672nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinde, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grinde
The surname GRINDE originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse word "grind," which means "gate" or "fence." This suggests that the name may have been used to identify someone who lived near a gate or worked as a gatekeeper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GRINDE surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents. In a document dated 1389, a man named Torstein Grinde is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Telemark.
During the 16th century, the GRINDE surname appears to have spread beyond Norway. Records from the Dutch port city of Amsterdam show a merchant named Jan Grinde operating a trading company in the 1570s, likely indicating that he or his ancestors had emigrated from Norway.
In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the GRINDE surname was Christen Grinde, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the Gudbrandsdalen valley from 1621 to 1698. His descendants continued to use the GRINDE name, and some of them became prominent figures in their local communities.
Another significant figure in the history of the GRINDE surname was Hans Grinde, a Norwegian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1785, he fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, and was awarded the War Medal for his service.
In the 19th century, the GRINDE surname began to appear in other parts of the world as Norwegians emigrated to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Nils Grinde, a Norwegian-American farmer who settled in Fillmore County, Minnesota, in the 1860s.
Another significant figure with the GRINDE surname was Olav Grinde, a Norwegian author and poet who lived from 1857 to 1935. He is best known for his novels and short stories that depicted rural life in Norway during the late 19th century.
Throughout its history, the GRINDE surname has been associated with various place names and locations in Norway, such as Grindheim, Grindvoll, and Grindalen, which likely derived from the same Old Norse root word as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grinde
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinde, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grinde bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Grinde surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2%
- Hispanic or Latino2.6%
- Unknown or suppressed1.3%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Grinde surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #31,817 | #40,672 | -27.8% |
| Count | 686 | 537 | -21.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.18 | -28.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Grinde bearers went from 686 to 537 (-21.7% change). The surname moved down 8,855 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,817 to #40,672.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grinde
FAQ
Grinde surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Grinde?
The surname Grinde holds position #40,672 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 617 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Grinde surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinde, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.