2000
#20,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,216
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Grubaugh
A German surname potentially derived from a geographical location name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,347 Americans carry the last name Grubaugh. That puts it at #22,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 254,458 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grubaugh 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
1.3K
1 in 254,458
Census rank
#22,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,175 bearers of the surname Grubaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grubaugh
The surname Grubaugh is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German words "gruben," meaning "pit" or "quarry," and "bach," meaning "stream" or "brook." Thus, the name is believed to have referred to someone who lived near a quarry or pit near a stream or brook.
The earliest known record of the name Grubaugh appears in a German church register from the year 1538, referring to a family residing in the town of Mainz. Historical records also show variations in the spelling of the name, including Grubbach, Grubbaugh, and Grubach, which were likely due to regional dialects and local pronunciation differences.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Hans Grubaugh, a farmer who lived in the village of Wittlich, near the Rhine River, in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Johann Grubaugh, a merchant from the city of Frankfurt who was mentioned in trade records from the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name Grubaugh began to appear in records from the German-speaking regions of Pennsylvania and Maryland in the Americas, likely due to immigration from Germany. One of the earliest known immigrants with this surname was Peter Grubaugh, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1742.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Grubaugh. These include:
1. Wilhelm Grubaugh (1789-1867), a German-born artist known for his landscape paintings.
2. Anna Grubaugh (1812-1892), an influential educator and advocate for women's rights in Pennsylvania.
3. Johann Grubaugh (1832-1911), a German-American farmer and businessman who established a successful dairy farm in Ohio.
4. Friedrich Grubaugh (1875-1946), a German-born engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early automobiles.
5. Amelia Grubaugh (1894-1978), an American writer and poet whose works explored themes of nature and rural life.
While the surname Grubaugh is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history and can be traced back to its German origins several centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grubaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Grubaugh 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 Grubaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,080
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 39
- Two or more races3.2% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grubaugh
Grubaugh 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
#21,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,195
-21 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 1,425 places
2020
#22,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,175
-20 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 687 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,334 | 1,216 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,759 | 1,195 | 0.41 | -21 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,425 places |
| 2020 | #22,446 | 1,175 | 0.39 | -20 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 687 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 Grubaugh 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 | #21,759 | #22,446 | -3.2% |
| Count | 1,195 | 1,175 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.39 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grubaugh bearers went from 1,195 to 1,175 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 687 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,759 to #22,446.
FAQ
Grubaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grubaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 1,347 living Americans carry the surname Grubaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 254,458 residents.
How common is Grubaugh?
Grubaugh ranks #22,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 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 1,175 people with the surname Grubaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 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 Grubaugh.
Has Grubaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grubaugh went from 1,195 recorded bearers to 1,175. That is a decrease of 20 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,759 to #22,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Grubaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Grubaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,080 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grubaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Grubaugh (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 Grubaugh mean?
A German surname potentially derived from a geographical location name. 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 Grubaugh (0.39 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 Grubaugh?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Grubaugh, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.