2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gronniger
A surname of German origin, possibly referring to a person from a place called Gronnig.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Gronniger. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gronniger 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Gronniger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gronniger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gronniger
The surname GRONNIGER is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "grōn" meaning "green" or "verdant." This name likely originated in the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century, and was initially used as a descriptive surname to refer to someone who lived near a green or lush area, or perhaps someone who had a fondness for the color green.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GRONNIGER can be found in the Würzburg Codex, a medieval manuscript dating back to the late 14th century. This document contains a reference to a certain "Johannes Gronniger," who was likely a resident of the Franconian region of Germany.
In the 16th century, the GRONNIGER name appeared in the church records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in modern-day Bavaria. These records mention a family by the name of GRONNIGER who were prominent members of the local community.
During the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the GRONNIGER surname was Hans Gronniger (1602-1678), a German blacksmith and metalworker who was renowned for his intricate and ornate ironwork designs. Some of his creations can still be found adorning buildings in the city of Nuremberg.
In the late 18th century, a man named Johann Friedrich Gronniger (1745-1821) achieved recognition as a respected author and philosopher. He was born in the town of Mannheim and wrote several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another notable GRONNIGER was Elise Gronniger (1819-1892), a German writer and poet who gained acclaim for her romantic verse and lyrical poetry. She was born in the city of Stuttgart and published several collections of her works during her lifetime.
While the GRONNIGER surname is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of German family names, with its roots stretching back to the verdant landscapes and vibrant cultural heritage of medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gronniger
Among Census respondents with the surname Gronniger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gronniger 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 Gronniger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 103
- Black or African American6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gronniger
Gronniger 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-17 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,110 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+10 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 26,110 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 9,150 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 Gronniger 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 | #154,907 | #145,757 | 5.9% |
| Count | 105 | 115 | 9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gronniger bearers went from 105 to 115 (+9.5% change). The surname moved up 9,150 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,757.
FAQ
Gronniger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gronniger?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Gronniger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Gronniger?
Gronniger ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Gronniger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Gronniger.
Has Gronniger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gronniger went from 105 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 10 (+9.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Gronniger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gronniger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Gronniger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gronniger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Black (6.1%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Gronniger (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 Gronniger mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly referring to a person from a place called Gronnig. 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 Gronniger (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 Gronniger?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Gronniger, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.