2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gritsch
A surname derived from a German dialect term meaning "oats grower" or "oatmeal maker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Gritsch. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gritsch 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Gritsch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gritsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gritsch
The surname GRITSCH is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the areas of modern-day Germany and Austria. Its roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.
One theory suggests that the name GRITSCH is derived from the Old German word "grit," which means "gravel" or "coarse sand." It is possible that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near a gravelly area or worked with gravel, such as a quarry worker or a stonemason.
Another possible origin of the name GRITSCH is that it is a variant of the German surname "Gritscher," which is believed to be a toponymic name derived from a place name. In this case, the name may have originated from a town or village called "Gritschen" or a similar variation.
The earliest recorded instances of the GRITSCH surname can be found in historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries in various regions of Germany and Austria. For example, a record from 1423 in the city of Nuremberg mentions a "Hans Gritsch," indicating the presence of this surname in that area during that time period.
In terms of notable individuals bearing the GRITSCH surname, one of the earliest recorded was Johann Gritsch, a German composer and organist who lived from around 1590 to 1670. His works included sacred music and organ compositions, which were highly regarded during his lifetime.
Another prominent figure was Karl Gritsch (1823-1897), an Austrian painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in Austria. He was born in Vienna and achieved significant recognition for his artistic contributions.
In the field of academia, Dr. Eric W. Gritsch (1931-2012) was a renowned scholar and professor of church history at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He authored several books on the Reformation and made significant contributions to the study of Lutheran history and theology.
Moving to more recent times, Bernhard Gritsch (born 1942) is an Austrian economist and politician who served as the Governor of the Austrian National Bank from 1995 to 2008. He played a crucial role in Austria's transition to the euro and oversaw the country's economic policies during his tenure.
Lastly, Robert Gritsch (born 1957) is a German-American artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public art installations. He has created numerous works of art that can be found in various cities across the United States and internationally.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gritsch
Among Census respondents with the surname Gritsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Gritsch 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 Gritsch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gritsch
Gritsch 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+12 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,954 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 2,954 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,832 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 Gritsch 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 | #144,141 | #141,309 | 2.0% |
| Count | 115 | 121 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gritsch bearers went from 115 to 121 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #141,309.
FAQ
Gritsch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gritsch?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Gritsch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Gritsch?
Gritsch ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Gritsch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Gritsch.
Has Gritsch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gritsch went from 115 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Gritsch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gritsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Gritsch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gritsch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Gritsch (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 Gritsch mean?
A surname derived from a German dialect term meaning "oats grower" or "oatmeal maker." 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 Gritsch (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 Gritsch?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.