2000
#99,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Groshens
A surname possibly derived from a nickname meaning "big" or "great" in various Slavic languages.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 146 Americans carry the last name Groshens. That puts it at #136,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,347,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Groshens 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
146
1 in 2,347,632
Census rank
#136,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
127
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 127 bearers of the surname Groshens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Groshens, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Groshens
The surname GROSHENS is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old German word "groschen," which referred to a small coin or monetary unit used in various regions of Germany and its neighboring countries. The name likely originated in the late Middle Ages or Early Modern period as a reference to someone who dealt in coinage or worked as a moneychanger or banker.
The earliest recorded instances of the GROSHENS surname can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries in various German-speaking regions. In some historical documents, the name appears with variations in spelling, such as Groschen, Groschen, or Gröschen, reflecting the regional dialects and orthographic conventions of the time.
One notable early record of the GROSHENS name is found in the Würzburg Cathedral archives from the late 15th century, where a certain Johannes Groshens is mentioned as a money lender and financier. Another early reference comes from the town of Erfurt, where a merchant named Hans Groshens is recorded in the city's trade records from the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the GROSHENS surname gained prominence in the Palatinate region of Germany, where several families bearing this name were recorded in church and tax records. One notable figure from this era was Philipp Groshens (1620-1687), a well-known goldsmith and jeweler who worked for the court of the Elector Palatine in Heidelberg.
As the GROSHENS families spread throughout German-speaking lands and beyond, the name became associated with various professions and occupations related to finance, trade, and craftsmanship. In the 18th century, a prominent member of the family was Johann Groshens (1735-1812), a successful banker and merchant in the city of Hamburg.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Groshens (1785-1859), a German numismatist and coin collector who authored several influential works on numismatics and the history of coinage. His extensive collection of coins and medals is now housed in the Münzkabinett (Coin Cabinet) of the State Museums in Berlin.
In the 19th century, the GROSHENS surname continued to be found across various German states and regions, as well as in areas of Europe where German immigrants settled. One example is Karl Groshens (1854-1932), a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur who founded a successful machine tool company in the city of Chemnitz, Saxony.
As the GROSHENS name spread beyond its Germanic roots, it took on various spellings and adaptations in other languages and cultures. However, the core meaning and association with finance, trade, and craftsmanship related to coinage and money have remained consistent throughout its historical evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Groshens
Among Census respondents with the surname Groshens, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Groshens 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 Groshens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 127
Timeline
Historical Census data for Groshens
Groshens 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-33 bearers (-19.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 26,804 places
2020
#136,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-9 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,789 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,214 | 169 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -33 bearers (-19.5%) | Down 26,804 places |
| 2020 | #136,807 | 127 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 10,789 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 Groshens 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 | #126,018 | #136,807 | -8.6% |
| Count | 136 | 127 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -15.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Groshens bearers went from 136 to 127 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 10,789 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #136,807.
FAQ
Groshens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Groshens?
Name Census estimates that about 146 living Americans carry the surname Groshens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,347,632 residents.
How common is Groshens?
Groshens ranks #136,807 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 127 people with the surname Groshens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (146), 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 Groshens.
Has Groshens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Groshens went from 136 recorded bearers to 127. That is a decrease of 9 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #136,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Groshens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Groshens, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Groshens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Groshens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Groshens (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 Groshens mean?
A surname possibly derived from a nickname meaning "big" or "great" in various Slavic languages. 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 Groshens (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 Groshens?
See how common the surname Groshens is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.