Find out how popular the last name Grobler is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Grobler.

Grobler, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Grobler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grobler in America

Grobler is the 117480th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grobler surname appeared 148 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Grobler.

The history of the last name Grobler

The surname Grobler is of South African origin, derived from the Afrikaans word "grobbelaar," which means "quarryman" or "stonemason." It originated in the 17th century when Dutch settlers arrived in the Cape Colony.

The name is believed to have its roots in the Dutch province of Friesland, where the occupation of quarrying was prevalent. As settlers made their way to South Africa, the name evolved to its current spelling, Grobler.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grobler can be found in the Cape Colony census of 1692, where Pieter Grobler was listed as a resident of Stellenbosch. This region, known for its wine production, likely employed many stonemasons and quarrymen in the construction of wineries and related structures.

The Grobler name gained prominence in the 18th and 19th centuries, with several notable individuals emerging. Jacobus Johannes Grobler (1770-1846) was a prominent farmer and landowner in the Graaff-Reinet district, while Pieter Grobler (1792-1862) served as a Veldkornet (field cornet) in the Cape Colony's military forces during the frontier wars against the Xhosa people.

In the 20th century, Johannes Jacobus Grobler (1890-1964) was a respected judge and advocate who served on the appellate division of the Supreme Court of South Africa. His son, Jan Grobler (1918-2005), was a renowned South African artist and illustrator, known for his work in children's literature.

Another notable figure was Roelof Grobler (1925-2004), a highly decorated South African rugby union player who represented his country in 20 test matches between 1949 and 1956. He was part of the Springbok team that toured the British Isles and France in 1951-52.

The Grobler surname continues to be widely represented in South Africa, particularly in the Afrikaner community, and has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grobler

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Grobler.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Grobler was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Grobler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Grobler, please contact us.

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