2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Grotjahn
A habitational surname derived from the town of Grotjahn, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Grotjahn. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grotjahn 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Grotjahn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grotjahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grotjahn
The surname GROTJAHN has its origins in Germany, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German words "grot" meaning "large" and "jahn" which was a common Germanic personal name, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to a person with the name "Jahn" who was of large stature.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Melle, located in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany. Historical records from the 1500s mention individuals with the surname GROTJAHN residing in this area. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, such as GROTJOHANN and GROTJAN, reflecting regional dialects and scribal errors.
One notable mention of the name can be found in the chronicles of the town of Osnabrück, where a certain Hans GROTJAHN is documented as having been a respected merchant in the late 16th century. His descendants continued to carry on the family name in the region for several generations.
The GROTJAHN surname also appears in various historical documents from other parts of Germany, such as the city of Hamburg, where records from the 1700s mention a Johann GROTJAHN, a respected ship captain. Another individual of note was Karl GROTJAHN (1779-1842), a prominent lawyer and legal scholar from the city of Hanover.
In the 19th century, the name gained some recognition with the birth of Alfred GROTJAHN (1869-1931), a German social hygienist and advocate for public health reforms. His work focused on improving living conditions and healthcare for the working class.
Another notable figure was the artist Fritz GROTJAHN (1859-1936), born in Berlin, who gained recognition for his landscape paintings and contributions to the German Impressionist movement.
While the name GROTJAHN has its roots firmly planted in Germany, over the centuries, it has spread to other parts of the world through immigration. However, its historical significance and origins can be traced back to the Germanic regions of Northern Europe, where it first emerged as a surname several centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grotjahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Grotjahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grotjahn 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 Grotjahn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grotjahn
Grotjahn 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
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,193 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-22 bearers (-17.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,193 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.7%) | Down 19,162 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 Grotjahn 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 | #154,755 | -14.1% |
| Count | 124 | 102 | -17.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grotjahn bearers went from 124 to 102 (-17.7% change). The surname moved down 19,162 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #154,755.
FAQ
Grotjahn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grotjahn?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Grotjahn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Grotjahn?
Grotjahn ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Grotjahn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Grotjahn.
Has Grotjahn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grotjahn went from 124 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Grotjahn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grotjahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Grotjahn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grotjahn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Black (2.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Grotjahn (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 Grotjahn mean?
A habitational surname derived from the town of Grotjahn, Germany. 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 Grotjahn (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 have the last name Grotjahn?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Grotjahn? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.