2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grovner
From a Germanic word meaning someone living near a grove of trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Grovner. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grovner 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Grovner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grovner, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and White (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grovner
The surname GROVNER is of German origin, believed to have originated in the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "groven," which referred to a grove or a small wooded area. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near or worked with groves or forested areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GROVNER surname can be found in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, Germany, where a Hans GROVNER was mentioned in a document from 1412. It is likely that the name originated in this region and later spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries.
In the 16th century, a Johannes GROVNER, born in 1542, was a prominent figure in the city of Nuremberg, where he served as a respected merchant and member of the city council. This indicates that the GROVNER family had established itself as a respected lineage by this time.
The GROVNER surname also appears in several historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries, including the birth and marriage records of various German principalities and duchies. One notable individual from this era was Friedrich GROVNER (1697-1774), a renowned scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.
In the 19th century, the GROVNER name can be found in various places across Europe, as individuals bearing this surname migrated to other regions. One example is Wilhelm GROVNER (1816-1892), a German-born artist and painter who spent much of his career in Italy, where he was known for his landscapes and portraiture.
Another significant figure with the GROVNER surname was Karl GROVNER (1879-1957), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded a successful manufacturing company in Berlin. His business activities contributed to the growth of the German economy in the early 20th century.
While the GROVNER surname may not be as widely known as some other German family names, it has a rich history dating back several centuries and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, from scholars and artists to merchants and industrialists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grovner
Among Census respondents with the surname Grovner, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and White (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Grovner 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 Grovner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.8% · 103
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- White3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grovner
Grovner 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-15 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 15,203 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 Grovner 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 | #129,825 | #145,028 | -11.7% |
| Count | 131 | 116 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grovner bearers went from 131 to 116 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 15,203 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #145,028.
FAQ
Grovner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grovner?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Grovner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Grovner?
Grovner ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Grovner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Grovner.
Has Grovner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grovner went from 131 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Grovner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grovner, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and White (3.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grovner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grovner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (88.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%), White (3.4%). 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 Grovner (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 Grovner mean?
From a Germanic word meaning someone living near a grove of trees. 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 Grovner (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 Grovner?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Grovner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.