2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grosko
A surname derived from a Slavic word meaning "thick" or "stout."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Grosko. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grosko 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Grosko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosko, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grosko
The surname GROSKO is believed to have originated in the region of Silesia, which is now part of southwestern Poland. The name dates back to the 12th century and is thought to be derived from the Old Polish word "grod," meaning "small castle" or "fortified settlement."
In the early days, the GROSKO name was likely associated with individuals who lived in or near a fortified settlement or castle. It may have been used to identify someone's place of origin or residence, similar to how many surnames emerged from place names or occupations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GROSKO name can be found in a manuscript from the Cistercian monastery in Lubiąż, Silesia, dated around 1220. This document mentions a landowner named Grodko, which is believed to be an early variant spelling of the surname.
During the Middle Ages, the GROSKO name appeared in various records and documents across Silesia and neighboring regions. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Jan Grosko (c. 1480-1550), a Silesian nobleman and landowner, and Mikołaj Grosko (1525-1598), a Polish-Silesian scholar and writer who served as a secretary to Polish King Sigismund II Augustus.
In the 17th century, the GROSKO surname gained prominence with the birth of Andrzej Grosko (1628-1701), a Polish-Silesian architect and engineer. Grosko was responsible for designing several important buildings in Wrocław (then known as Breslau) and nearby towns, including the Church of St. Elizabeth and the Silesian Parliament building.
Another notable figure was Franciszek Grosko (1755-1824), a Polish-Silesian composer and organist who served as the court musician to Prince Nicholas II Radziwiłł in Nieśwież (now in Belarus). Grosko's compositions, particularly his church music, were highly regarded during his time.
In the 19th century, the GROSKO surname was associated with Józef Grosko (1828-1891), a Polish-Silesian journalist and writer who played a significant role in the Silesian uprisings against Prussian rule. His writings and advocacy for Polish nationalism and independence earned him a reputation as a leading figure in the Silesian independence movement.
While the GROSKO surname is most commonly found in Poland and among individuals of Polish-Silesian descent, it has also been recorded in other parts of Europe, including Germany, where it may have been influenced by the migration of Silesian populations over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grosko
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosko, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grosko 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 Grosko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 109
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grosko
Grosko 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+24 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,843 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +24 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 14,843 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 10,902 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 Grosko 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 | #135,593 | #146,495 | -8.0% |
| Count | 124 | 114 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grosko bearers went from 124 to 114 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 10,902 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #146,495.
FAQ
Grosko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grosko?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Grosko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Grosko?
Grosko ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Grosko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Grosko.
Has Grosko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grosko went from 124 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Grosko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosko, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Grosko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grosko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Black (0.9%). 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 Grosko (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 Grosko mean?
A surname derived from a Slavic word meaning "thick" or "stout." 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 Grosko (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 Grosko?
See how many people have the last name Grosko on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.