2000
#108,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 152
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Grittman
A surname derived from a German word meaning "one who deals in grits or coarse grains".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Grittman. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grittman 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Grittman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grittman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grittman
The surname GRITTMAN is of German origin, emerging in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Old German word "grittmann," which referred to a person who worked as a town crier or messenger. The name is closely related to the German word "gritter," meaning a coarse mesh sieve used for separating chaff from grain.
The earliest known record of the GRITTMAN name appears in a 1598 census record from the town of Göttingen in Lower Saxony, where a Hans Grittmann is listed as a resident. In the following century, the name can be found in various church records and municipal documents across northern Germany.
One notable early bearer of the GRITTMAN name was Johann Grittmann (1625-1701), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Lübeck. He authored several religious texts and was known for his passionate sermons against the spread of Calvinism in the region.
In the 18th century, the name appears in records from the Prussian city of Königsberg, now known as Kaliningrad, Russia. A merchant named Friedrich Grittmann (1720-1789) is mentioned in trade documents from that era, indicating the family's involvement in commerce.
As the name spread across Germany, variations in spelling emerged, including Grittmann, Grietmann, and Grütmann. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
One of the most famous individuals with the GRITTMAN surname was Karl Grittmann (1838-1913), a German military officer who served in the Franco-Prussian War and later became a respected military historian. His memoir, "Erinnerungen eines alten Soldaten" (Memories of an Old Soldier), provided valuable insights into the Prussian military campaigns of the 19th century.
Another notable GRITTMAN was Theodor Grittmann (1859-1932), a German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank and the Reichspost buildings, which are now recognized as architectural landmarks.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the GRITTMAN name began to appear in emigration records as some individuals left Germany for new opportunities in North America and other parts of the world. However, the name remained relatively uncommon outside of its historical German homeland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grittman
Among Census respondents with the surname Grittman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Grittman 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 Grittman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grittman
Grittman 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
-11 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 14,161 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-26 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,153 | 152 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | -11 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 14,161 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 23,443 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 Grittman 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 | #122,314 | #145,757 | -19.2% |
| Count | 141 | 115 | -18.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grittman bearers went from 141 to 115 (-18.4% change). The surname moved down 23,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #145,757.
FAQ
Grittman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grittman?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Grittman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Grittman?
Grittman ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Grittman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Grittman.
Has Grittman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grittman went from 141 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 26 (-18.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Grittman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grittman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Grittman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grittman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Grittman (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 Grittman mean?
A surname derived from a German word meaning "one who deals in grits or coarse grains". 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 Grittman (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 Americans have the surname Grittman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.