2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Grovenburg
A locational surname denoting someone from a town with a grove or glade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Grovenburg. 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 Grovenburg 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 Grovenburg 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 Grovenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.7%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grovenburg
The surname Grovenburg has its origins in the Germanic language family, derived from the Old Dutch words "groeven" meaning "grove" or "small wood," and "burg" meaning "fortified town or castle." It is believed to have emerged in the Netherlands or northern Germany during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Grovenburg can be traced back to the 14th century in various Dutch and German records, often referring to individuals who lived near or owned a small wooded area near a fortified town or castle. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Grovenburg, a landowner mentioned in the 1382 tax records of the town of Lübeck, in modern-day Germany.
In the 15th century, the name Grovenburg appeared in several manuscripts and chronicles documenting the history of the Low Countries and the Hanseatic League. Notably, a merchant named Pieter Grovenburg was mentioned in the 1473 records of the city of Bruges, in present-day Belgium, as a prominent trader of goods from the Baltic region.
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and variations, such as Grovenburgh, Grovenburch, and Grauenburg, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions. One notable figure was the Dutch explorer and navigator Willem Grovenburg (c. 1585-1638), who joined several expeditions to the East Indies and is believed to have helped establish Dutch settlements in present-day Indonesia.
In the 17th century, the name Grovenburg gained prominence in the Netherlands, with several individuals bearing the name contributing to the arts and sciences. Hendrik Grovenburg (1616-1692) was a renowned Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life and genre paintings, while his contemporary, the astronomer Johannes Grovenburg (1625-1703), made significant contributions to the study of celestial bodies and the calculation of planetary orbits.
Another notable figure from this period was the Dutch military engineer and architect Pieter Grovenburg (1638-1707), who played a crucial role in designing and fortifying several cities and citadels across the Netherlands and parts of present-day Germany during the wars against France and Spain.
As the name spread further, it found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually across the Atlantic to the Americas. In the 18th century, a German immigrant named Friedrich Grovenburg (1720-1798) settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent figure in the local community, serving as a magistrate and landowner.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grovenburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Grovenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.7%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Grovenburg 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 Grovenburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 85
- Two or more races13.7% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grovenburg
Grovenburg appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,957 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 4,957 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 Grovenburg 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 | #159,712 | #154,755 | 3.1% |
| Count | 101 | 102 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grovenburg bearers went from 101 to 102 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,957 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,755.
FAQ
Grovenburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grovenburg?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Grovenburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Grovenburg?
Grovenburg 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 Grovenburg. 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 Grovenburg.
Has Grovenburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grovenburg went from 101 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Grovenburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grovenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.7%) and Hispanic (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 Grovenburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grovenburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Two or More Races (13.7%), Hispanic (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 Grovenburg (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 Grovenburg mean?
A locational surname denoting someone from a town with a grove or glade. 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 Grovenburg (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 common is the surname Grovenburg?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Grovenburg at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.