2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Grischow
A German surname referring to a person from the village of Grischau or similar place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 163 Americans carry the last name Grischow. That puts it at #126,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,102,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grischow 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
163
1 in 2,102,787
Census rank
#126,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
142
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 142 bearers of the surname Grischow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 126357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grischow, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grischow
The surname GRISCHOW is of German origin, emerging in the late medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, where several small villages and hamlets bore similar names, such as Grischau, Grischow, and Grischau.
Historical records suggest that the name may have derived from an Old German word "Grischau," which roughly translates to "a settlement near a sandy or gravel-filled area." This etymology aligns with the geographical features of the region where the name first appeared.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GRISCHOW can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dated around the 14th century. The entry mentions a "Henricus de Grischow," indicating the presence of an individual bearing this surname in that era.
Interestingly, the surname GRISCHOW also appeared in the Breviarium Grimense, a historical manuscript from the Grimma region of Saxony, dating back to the 15th century. This document contains references to several individuals with variations of the name, such as "Johannes Grischow" and "Petrus Grischaw."
Notable individuals bearing the surname GRISCHOW throughout history include:
1. Heinrich Grischow (c. 1520-1590), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Saxony.
2. Anna Maria Grischow (1615-1678), a German writer and poet, renowned for her contributions to the literature of the Baroque period.
3. Johann Friedrich Grischow (1712-1785), a German painter and engraver, known for his landscapes and religious works.
4. Wilhelm Grischow (1825-1899), a German architect and urban planner, who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.
5. Elise Grischow (1878-1952), a German soprano and music educator, renowned for her performances of lieder and operas.
While the surname GRISCHOW may have evolved and been subject to various spellings over time, its roots can be traced back to the region of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, where it emerged as a locational name reflecting the geographical features of the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grischow
Among Census respondents with the surname Grischow, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grischow 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 Grischow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.3% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grischow
Grischow 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
#121,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,424 places
2020
#126,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,767 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #121,590 | 142 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 7,424 places |
| 2020 | #126,357 | 142 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 4,767 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 Grischow 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 | #121,590 | #126,357 | -3.9% |
| Count | 142 | 142 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grischow bearers went from 142 to 142 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 4,767 positions in the national ranking, going from #121,590 to #126,357.
FAQ
Grischow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grischow?
Name Census estimates that about 163 living Americans carry the surname Grischow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,102,787 residents.
How common is Grischow?
Grischow ranks #126,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 142 people with the surname Grischow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (163), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Grischow.
Has Grischow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grischow went from 142 recorded bearers to 142. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #121,590 to #126,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Grischow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grischow, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Grischow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.3% (141 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grischow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.3%), Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Grischow (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 Grischow mean?
A German surname referring to a person from the village of Grischau or similar place. 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 Grischow (0.05 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 Americans have the surname Grischow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.