2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grodner
An ethnic name derived from a Polish place name referring to someone from Grodno or the area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Grodner. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grodner 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Grodner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grodner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grodner
The surname Grodner has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late 18th century in the region of Prussia, which is now part of modern-day Poland and Germany. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German word "grod," meaning "grove" or "small forest," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or worked in wooded areas.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Grodner name can be found in the parish records of the town of Grodnen (now Grodno, Belarus) in the late 1700s. This town's name is likely the source of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the place they lived or originated from.
In the early 19th century, the Grodner surname began to appear in various records across Prussia and neighboring regions. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Grodner (1792-1862), a Prussian farmer and landowner, and Michael Grodner (1805-1871), a Silesian merchant and trader.
As the 19th century progressed, the Grodner name continued to spread across Europe, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of the world. One such individual was Karl Grodner (1828-1901), a German-born carpenter who settled in New York City in the 1850s and established a successful woodworking business.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Grodner name can be found in various historical records and documents. For example, the German philosopher and writer Ernst Grodner (1865-1942) was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time, known for his works on ethics and aesthetics.
Another notable Grodner was the Austrian-born architect and urban planner Otto Grodner (1878-1952), who played a significant role in the development of modern urban planning principles and designed several notable buildings and public spaces in Vienna and other cities across Europe.
Throughout its history, the Grodner surname has been associated with various professions and occupations, including farming, carpentry, trade, and intellectual pursuits. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark across several regions and cultures, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who have borne this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grodner
Among Census respondents with the surname Grodner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grodner 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 Grodner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grodner
Grodner 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-9 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,955 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 19,955 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,122 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 Grodner 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 | #159,712 | #153,590 | 3.8% |
| Count | 101 | 104 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grodner bearers went from 101 to 104 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Grodner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grodner?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Grodner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Grodner?
Grodner ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Grodner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Grodner.
Has Grodner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grodner went from 101 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Grodner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grodner, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Grodner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grodner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Grodner (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 Grodner mean?
An ethnic name derived from a Polish place name referring to someone from Grodno or the area. 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 Grodner (0.03 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 have the last name Grodner?
Find out how common the surname Grodner is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.