2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grosenheider
From a German locality coupled with "heide" meaning "heathland".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Grosenheider. 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 Grosenheider 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 Grosenheider 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 Grosenheider, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grosenheider
The surname Grosenheider is believed to have originated in Germany during the early medieval period, likely between the 9th and 11th centuries. Its roots can be traced back to the Old High German words "grozio" meaning "large" or "great" and "heida" which referred to a heath or uncultivated land.
The earliest known recorded instances of the name appear in various regional records and church documents from the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around modern-day Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is thought that the name may have initially been used to describe someone who lived or worked on a large expanse of heathland or uncultivated land.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Rudiger Grosenheider, a landowner and minor nobleman from the village of Eichstätt in Bavaria, who was mentioned in a deed of land transfer dated to around 1185. Another early example is that of Heinrich Grosenheider, a freeman recorded in the city records of Ulm in 1276.
As the name spread throughout Germany over the centuries, various spelling variations emerged, including Grozenheyder, Grozenheider, and Groszenheider, reflecting regional linguistic differences and the evolving nature of the German language.
Among notable historical figures bearing the Grosenheider name was Johann Grosenheider (1548-1623), a prominent Lutheran theologian and author from Nuremberg, who published several influential works on religious doctrine and theology. Another was Konrad Grosenheider (1675-1747), a noted architect and master builder from Stuttgart, who was responsible for the design and construction of several significant churches and public buildings in the region.
Other individuals of note include Friedrich Grosenheider (1802-1879), a German-born artist and painter who emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and became known for his landscapes and portraits depicting scenes from the American frontier. Lastly, there was Wilhelmina Grosenheider (1856-1932), a pioneering German educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded several schools and vocational training programs for young women in her native Bavaria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grosenheider
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosenheider, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Grosenheider 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 Grosenheider surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grosenheider
Grosenheider 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,444 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,389 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 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 6,444 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 7,389 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 Grosenheider 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 | #146,201 | #153,590 | -5.1% |
| Count | 113 | 104 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grosenheider bearers went from 113 to 104 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 7,389 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #153,590.
FAQ
Grosenheider surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grosenheider?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Grosenheider. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Grosenheider?
Grosenheider 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 Grosenheider. 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 Grosenheider.
Has Grosenheider become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grosenheider went from 113 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Grosenheider?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosenheider, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Grosenheider in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grosenheider appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Grosenheider (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 Grosenheider mean?
From a German locality coupled with "heide" meaning "heathland". 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 Grosenheider (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 are called Grosenheider?
You can see how many people have the surname Grosenheider on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.