2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grubenhoff
A German habitational surname referring to someone from a place with a mine or quarry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Grubenhoff. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grubenhoff 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Grubenhoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubenhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grubenhoff
The surname Grubenhoff originated in Germany during the late medieval period, likely around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "gruben," meaning "pit" or "mine," and "hoff," meaning "courtyard" or "estate." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived or worked near mining operations or quarries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grubenhoff can be found in the Augsburg Municipal Archives, which contain records dating back to the 15th century. In these archives, there is a mention of a certain Hans Grubenhoff, a miner who lived in the city of Augsburg in the late 1400s.
During the 16th century, the Grubenhoff name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. In the 1550s, a man named Johann Grubenhoff was recorded as a member of the mining guild in the town of Freiberg, which was a major center for silver and tin mining during that time.
As the centuries progressed, the Grubenhoff name became associated with various notable figures. In the late 17th century, a philosopher and theologian named Friedrich Grubenhoff (1648-1717) gained recognition for his writings on metaphysics and natural philosophy. He served as a professor at the University of Jena and authored several influential works.
In the 19th century, a German painter named Wilhelm Grubenhoff (1822-1892) achieved some fame for his landscape paintings depicting the scenic beauty of the Black Forest region. His works were exhibited in several prominent galleries across Germany and are now part of various museum collections.
Another notable bearer of the Grubenhoff name was Karl Grubenhoff (1878-1948), a renowned engineer and inventor who contributed significantly to the development of early aviation technology. He worked closely with the Wright brothers and played a pivotal role in the design of some of the first successful aircraft engines.
Throughout history, the Grubenhoff surname has maintained its ties to the mining industry, with many individuals bearing this name working as miners, quarry operators, or engineers in related fields. The name's origins reflect the close connection between the Grubenhoff family and the extraction of valuable resources from the earth's surface.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grubenhoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubenhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grubenhoff 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 Grubenhoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 115
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grubenhoff
Grubenhoff 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,375 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 3,375 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,207 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 Grubenhoff 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 | #138,304 | #143,511 | -3.8% |
| Count | 121 | 118 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grubenhoff bearers went from 121 to 118 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #143,511.
FAQ
Grubenhoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grubenhoff?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Grubenhoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Grubenhoff?
Grubenhoff ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Grubenhoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Grubenhoff.
Has Grubenhoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grubenhoff went from 121 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Grubenhoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubenhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Black (0.8%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Grubenhoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grubenhoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Black (0.8%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Grubenhoff (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 Grubenhoff mean?
A German habitational surname referring to someone from a place with a mine or quarry. 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 Grubenhoff (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 Americans have the surname Grubenhoff?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.