2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Groenewoud
A Dutch surname meaning "green wood" or "green forest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Groenewoud. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Groenewoud 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Groenewoud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Groenewoud, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Groenewoud
The surname Groenewoud is of Dutch origin, derived from the Middle Dutch words "groene" meaning green, and "woud" meaning forest or woods. It likely originated as a topographic name, referring to a person who lived near or in a green forest or wooded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century in the Netherlands. In 1587, a record mentions a "Jan Groenewoud" from the town of Leiden. Another early reference is found in the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, where a "Pieter Groenewoud" is listed in 1612.
Variations in spelling were common in earlier times, and the name appeared as Groenewout, Groenewolt, and Groenewalt in different regions of the Netherlands. These variations likely stemmed from local dialects and influences.
The Groenewoud name is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Dirck Groenewoud (1604-1677), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still life and landscape paintings. Another notable figure was Gerrit Groenewoud (1754-1825), a Dutch architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in Amsterdam.
In the 19th century, Cornelis Groenewoud (1825-1892) was a Dutch politician and journalist who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Netherlands. Pieter Groenewoud (1857-1923) was a Dutch painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes.
More recently, Herman Groenewoud (1923-2006) was a Dutch actor and comedian who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career. He was considered a cultural icon in the Netherlands.
The Groenewoud surname has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with historical Dutch influence or migration, such as South Africa and parts of North America. However, its origins can be firmly traced back to the Netherlands and the Dutch language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Groenewoud
Among Census respondents with the surname Groenewoud, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Groenewoud 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 Groenewoud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 96
- Black or African American5.4% · 6
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Groenewoud
Groenewoud appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 7,379 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 Groenewoud 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 | #156,044 | #148,665 | 4.7% |
| Count | 104 | 111 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Groenewoud bearers went from 104 to 111 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 7,379 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #148,665.
FAQ
Groenewoud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Groenewoud?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Groenewoud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Groenewoud?
Groenewoud ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Groenewoud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Groenewoud.
Has Groenewoud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Groenewoud went from 104 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 7 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Groenewoud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Groenewoud, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Groenewoud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Groenewoud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Groenewoud (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 Groenewoud mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "green wood" or "green forest". 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 Groenewoud (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 have the last name Groenewoud?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Groenewoud at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.