2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Grochocki
A Polish place surname derived from the Polish word "groch" meaning pea.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Grochocki. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grochocki 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Grochocki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grochocki, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grochocki
The surname Grochocki originates from Poland, and it is believed to have emerged in the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period, around the 15th or 16th century. The name likely derives from the Polish word "groch," meaning "pea," and the suffix "-ocki," which indicates a diminutive or a place of origin. This suggests that the name could have been associated with a person who lived in an area known for cultivating peas or was involved in the pea farming trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Grochocki surname can be found in the village of Grochocice, located in the Świętokrzyskie region of central Poland. This village name is believed to be the root of the surname, and it is possible that the first bearers of the Grochocki name originated from this area.
Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries mention several individuals with the Grochocki surname. In 1580, a man named Jan Grochocki was listed as a member of the Polish nobility in the Kraków Voivodeship. Another notable figure was Maciej Grochocki, a Polish military commander who fought against the Swedish invasion during the Deluge in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, Stanisław Grochocki (1700-1768) gained recognition as a Polish poet and dramatist. He is best known for his satirical works that critiqued the moral decay of the Polish nobility during that time period. Another prominent individual was Ignacy Grochocki (1784-1857), a Polish historian and geographer who authored several books on the history and geography of Poland.
The 19th century saw the birth of Józef Grochocki (1818-1892), a Polish painter and art teacher. He was known for his landscape paintings depicting the scenery of Poland and other European countries. Additionally, Stanisław Grochocki (1859-1928) was a Polish engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early radio technology.
As the name spread throughout Poland and its surrounding regions, various spelling variations emerged, such as Grochowski, Grochowski-Grochocki, and Grochocinski. These variations often reflected regional dialects or were adopted by different branches of the Grochocki family over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grochocki
Among Census respondents with the surname Grochocki, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Grochocki 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 Grochocki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 105
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grochocki
Grochocki 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-10 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,031 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,371 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 17,031 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,371 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 Grochocki 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 | #141,140 | #143,511 | -1.7% |
| Count | 118 | 118 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grochocki bearers went from 118 to 118 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,371 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #143,511.
FAQ
Grochocki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grochocki?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Grochocki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Grochocki?
Grochocki ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Grochocki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Grochocki.
Has Grochocki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grochocki went from 118 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Grochocki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grochocki, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (2.5%). 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 Grochocki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grochocki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (2.5%). 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 Grochocki (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 Grochocki mean?
A Polish place surname derived from the Polish word "groch" meaning pea. 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 Grochocki (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 are called Grochocki?
Want to know how many people have the last name Grochocki? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.