2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grinman
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word 'grin', meaning green or verdant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Grinman. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grinman 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Grinman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grinman
The surname Grinman is believed to have its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "grin," which means "grimace" or "wry expression," possibly referring to a physical characteristic or occupation of the name's earliest bearers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Grinman surname can be found in the town records of Heidelberg, Germany, in the year 1572, where a certain Hans Grinman is mentioned as a local blacksmith. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in metalworking trades, where the act of grimacing or contorting one's face might have been a common occurrence.
In the late 16th century, there are also references to a family of Grinmans residing in the village of Neunkirchen, located in the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany. The Grinmans were reportedly landowners and farmers, with their name appearing in various land deeds and property records from that period.
As the Grinman family grew and spread across different regions of Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as Grinnemann, Grinemann, and Grinman. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
One notable individual bearing the Grinman surname was Johann Grinman, a Lutheran pastor born in 1688 in the town of Halle, Germany. Johann Grinman played a significant role in the development of religious education in his region and authored several theological works during his lifetime.
Another figure of historical significance was Wilhelm Grinman (1795-1872), a German composer and music theorist. Born in Frankfurt, Wilhelm Grinman gained recognition for his contributions to the study of counterpoint and harmony, as well as his compositions for various instrumental ensembles.
In the 19th century, the Grinman name also appeared in various records from the Alsace region, then part of France, suggesting that some members of the family had migrated westward from Germany. One such individual was Auguste Grinman (1832-1901), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Strasbourg and other Alsatian towns.
As the Grinman family continued to spread across Europe, some members eventually made their way to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. However, the earliest recorded instances of the name remain firmly rooted in Germany, dating back to the 16th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grinman
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grinman 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 Grinman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grinman
Grinman 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,953 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+10 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,741 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 15,953 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 8,741 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 Grinman 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 | #153,769 | #145,028 | 5.7% |
| Count | 106 | 116 | 9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grinman bearers went from 106 to 116 (+9.4% change). The surname moved up 8,741 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,028.
FAQ
Grinman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grinman?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Grinman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Grinman?
Grinman ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Grinman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Grinman.
Has Grinman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grinman went from 106 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 10 (+9.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Grinman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grinman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (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 Grinman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grinman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (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 Grinman (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 Grinman mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word 'grin', meaning green or verdant. 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 Grinman (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 Grinman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.