2000
#7,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,924
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Griner
An occupational surname referring to someone who works with grain, such as a miller or grain merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,319 Americans carry the last name Griner. That puts it at #8,423 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,360 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Griner 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
4.3K
1 in 79,360
Census rank
#8,423
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,766 bearers of the surname Griner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8423rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Griner, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Griner
The surname GRINER is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "grin" or "grine," which means "green" or "evergreen." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with someone who lived near a lush, evergreen area or perhaps worked in forestry or a similar occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GRINER can be found in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain Hans Griner was mentioned in a document dated 1582. This document details a land dispute between Hans and a neighboring farmer, providing a glimpse into the life of one of the earliest known bearers of the GRINER name.
In the 17th century, the name GRINER appeared in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a family by the name of Griner was involved in the thriving textile trade. Johann Griner, born in 1625, was a prominent merchant and guild member, and his descendants continued to play a significant role in the city's economic and social life for several generations.
As the centuries passed, the GRINER name spread across various regions of Germany and eventually to other parts of Europe and beyond. One notable figure was Friedrich Griner, a German-born botanist who lived from 1781 to 1857. He made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Prussian region and is remembered for his extensive collections and detailed documentation of various plant species.
Another individual of note was Elise Griner, born in 1868 in the town of Heidelberg, who became a renowned artist and painter during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her works, which often depicted landscapes and scenes from rural life, were widely exhibited and celebrated throughout Germany and beyond.
In more recent times, the GRINER name has gained recognition through the achievements of individuals like Hans Griner, a German-American engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early aerospace technology during the mid-20th century, working on projects such as the Apollo program.
While the origins of the GRINER surname can be traced back to the green landscapes of Bavaria, its bearers have left their mark across various fields and regions, contributing to the rich tapestry of human history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Griner
Among Census respondents with the surname Griner, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Griner 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 Griner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 3,153
- Black or African American6.7% · 252
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 183
- Two or more races3.8% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Griner
Griner 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
#8,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,117
+193 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 219 places
2020
#8,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,766
-351 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,817 | 3,924 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,036 | 4,117 | 1.40 | +193 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 219 places |
| 2020 | #8,423 | 3,766 | 1.26 | -351 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 387 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 Griner 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 | #8,036 | #8,423 | -4.8% |
| Count | 4,117 | 3,766 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.26 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Griner bearers went from 4,117 to 3,766 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 387 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,036 to #8,423.
FAQ
Griner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Griner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,319 living Americans carry the surname Griner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,360 residents.
How common is Griner?
Griner ranks #8,423 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,766 people with the surname Griner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,319), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Griner.
Has Griner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Griner went from 4,117 recorded bearers to 3,766. That is a decrease of 351 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,036 to #8,423.
What does the Census say about the background of Griner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Griner, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Griner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (3,153 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Griner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (6.7%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Griner (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 Griner mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who works with grain, such as a miller or grain merchant. 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 Griner (1.26 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 have the last name Griner?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Griner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.