2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gruchacz
A Polish surname derived from the word "gruchać" meaning "to coo" or "to murmur".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Gruchacz. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gruchacz 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Gruchacz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gruchacz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gruchacz
The surname GRUCHACZ originated in Poland, likely in the late medieval period or early modern era. It is derived from the Polish word "gruchać," which means "to coo" or "to make a cooing sound," referring to the sounds made by certain birds like doves or pigeons. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone involved in breeding or caring for these types of birds.
The name GRUCHACZ can be traced back to various historical records in Poland, such as parish registers and tax rolls from the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Zamość Region Registry from 1589, where a certain Jan Gruchacz is listed as a resident of the village of Skierbieszów.
In the 18th century, the name appears in the Prussian Partition of Poland, with records indicating a Jakub Gruchacz living in the town of Malbork in 1766. Another notable individual with this surname was Franciszek Gruchacz, a Polish soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration, for his bravery in the Battle of Smolensk in 1812.
During the 19th century, the GRUCHACZ name can be found in various regions of partitioned Poland, including the Galician region (which was under Austrian rule at the time). For instance, a Tomasz Gruchacz is listed as a landowner in the village of Brzyska Wola in the Tarnów district in 1856.
One of the most prominent figures with the GRUCHACZ surname was Józef Gruchacz (1842-1925), a Polish writer, journalist, and political activist who was involved in the struggle for Polish independence. He was born in the village of Młynki near Bochnia and spent much of his life in Krakow, where he founded and edited several Polish-language newspapers and magazines.
Another notable individual was Stanisław Gruchacz (1887-1964), a Polish artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits. He was born in the town of Jarosław and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. His works are featured in several museums and galleries in Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gruchacz
Among Census respondents with the surname Gruchacz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gruchacz 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 Gruchacz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 92
- Two or more races4.1% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gruchacz
Gruchacz 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,060 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-7 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 11,060 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 1,362 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 Gruchacz 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 | #154,907 | #156,269 | -0.9% |
| Count | 105 | 98 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gruchacz bearers went from 105 to 98 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 1,362 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #156,269.
FAQ
Gruchacz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gruchacz?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Gruchacz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Gruchacz?
Gruchacz ranks #156,269 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 98 people with the surname Gruchacz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), 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 Gruchacz.
Has Gruchacz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gruchacz went from 105 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Gruchacz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gruchacz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (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 Gruchacz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gruchacz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Black (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 Gruchacz (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 Gruchacz mean?
A Polish surname derived from the word "gruchać" meaning "to coo" or "to murmur". 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 Gruchacz (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 Gruchacz?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Gruchacz is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.