2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grulich
A surname of German origin meaning someone from a gravel quarry or pit.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Grulich. 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 Grulich 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 Grulich 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 Grulich, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grulich
The surname GRULICH is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, particularly in what is now modern-day Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The name is thought to have derived from the German word "Grube," which means "pit" or "mine," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been associated with mining or quarrying activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GRULICH can be traced back to the 15th century in the region of Bohemia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. In a document dated 1457, a certain Hanns Grulich was mentioned as a resident of the town of Kuttenberg (now Kutná Hora in the Czech Republic), which was a prominent center for silver mining during the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the name GRULICH appeared in various records and manuscripts across Central Europe. For example, a certain Christoph Grulich was recorded as a merchant in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, in 1532. Another notable individual from this period was Balthasar Grulich, a renowned goldsmith who lived in Prague in the late 16th century and created intricate works for the royal court.
The 17th and 18th centuries saw the gradual spread of the GRULICH surname throughout the German-speaking regions of Europe. During this time, several individuals bearing this name gained recognition in various fields. One such person was Johann Grulich (1623-1680), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.
In the 19th century, as migration patterns increased, the GRULICH surname began to appear in other parts of Europe and beyond. For instance, a notable figure was Carl Grulich (1821-1887), an Austrian architect who designed several prominent buildings in Vienna, including the Palais Ephrussi.
Another prominent individual with the surname GRULICH was Wilhelm Grulich (1856-1925), a German author and journalist who wrote extensively about the social and political issues of his time. He was also involved in the early workers' rights movement in Germany.
As the centuries progressed, the GRULICH surname continued to spread and diversify, with bearers of this name making their mark in various fields across the world. However, it is important to note that the historical records and references mentioned here are not exhaustive, and there may be other notable individuals or events associated with this surname that are not covered in this summary.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grulich
Among Census respondents with the surname Grulich, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grulich 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 Grulich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grulich
Grulich 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,713 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-6 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,713 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 3,223 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 Grulich 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 | #151,532 | #154,755 | -2.1% |
| Count | 108 | 102 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grulich bearers went from 108 to 102 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 3,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #154,755.
FAQ
Grulich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grulich?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Grulich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Grulich?
Grulich 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 Grulich. 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 Grulich.
Has Grulich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grulich went from 108 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Grulich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grulich, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Grulich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grulich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Hispanic (7.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Grulich (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 Grulich mean?
A surname of German origin meaning someone from a gravel quarry or pit. 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 Grulich (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 share the surname Grulich?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.