2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Groess
A German surname meaning "large" or denoting someone of great stature or size.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Groess. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Groess 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Groess in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Groess, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Groess
The surname GROESS is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was initially spelled "Groeß" or "Groess". The name likely derives from an Old High German word, "groz", which means "large" or "great". This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive nickname given to someone of a tall or imposing stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GROESS can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Duchy of Bavaria, dating back to the 13th century. In this record, a person named "Heinricus Groess" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1270.
In the 14th century, the name GROESS appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493. The book mentions a "Johannes Groess", who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Nuremberg during that time.
The GROESS name also has a connection to a small village in Bavaria called Größ, which is believed to have derived its name from the surname itself. This village was first recorded in historical documents in the 16th century, suggesting that the GROESS family may have been influential landowners in the area.
One notable figure in history bearing the surname GROESS was Johann Groess (1623-1685), a German composer and organist from the city of Dresden. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque music style and for his works for organ and other instrumental ensembles.
Another prominent individual with the GROESS surname was Karl Groess (1786-1847), a German philosopher and writer. He was a proponent of idealism and wrote extensively on topics such as aesthetics and ethics. His works, including "The Philosophy of Art" and "The Philosophy of Life," were widely read and influential in his time.
In the 19th century, a prominent German mathematician named Georg Groess (1831-1891) made significant contributions to the field of algebraic geometry. He is credited with developing the concept of "Groess spaces," which are now an essential tool in modern mathematics.
The surname GROESS can also be found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as Austria and Switzerland, suggesting that the name may have spread beyond its origins in Bavaria over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Groess
Among Census respondents with the surname Groess, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Groess 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 Groess surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Groess
Groess 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+11 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 11,211 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 Groess 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 | #158,432 | #147,221 | 7.1% |
| Count | 102 | 113 | 10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Groess bearers went from 102 to 113 (+10.8% change). The surname moved up 11,211 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #147,221.
FAQ
Groess surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Groess?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Groess. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Groess?
Groess ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Groess. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Groess.
Has Groess become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Groess went from 102 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 11 (+10.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Groess?
Among Census respondents with the surname Groess, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Groess in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Groess appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Groess (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 Groess mean?
A German surname meaning "large" or denoting someone of great stature or size. 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 Groess (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 common is the surname Groess?
If you just want to know how many people are called Groess, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.