2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Grundei
A German surname derived from Middle Low German meaning "green egg" or referring to someone from Grundeiche.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Grundei. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grundei 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Grundei in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grundei, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grundei
The surname Grundei has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle Low German word "grund," meaning "ground" or "soil," and the suffix "-ei," indicating a place or location. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an individual associated with a particular area or estate related to the ground or soil.
One of the earliest documented references to the Grundei surname can be found in the records of the town of Lübeck, Germany, where a merchant named Hans Grundei was mentioned in 1542. Another early record comes from the city of Hamburg, where a baker named Claus Grundei was registered in 1587.
In the 17th century, the Grundei surname appeared in various historical documents across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Holstein and Mecklenburg. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Grundei, a farmer from the village of Neukirchen who was born in 1632, and Margaretha Grundei, a weaver from the town of Rostock, born in 1668.
During the 18th century, the Grundei name continued to be prevalent in northern Germany, with several families documented in church records and local registers. One notable figure was Peter Grundei, a merchant from the city of Lübeck, who was born in 1718 and achieved considerable wealth through his trading ventures.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, some members of the Grundei family migrated to urban centers in search of employment opportunities. One such individual was Friedrich Grundei, a metalworker from the town of Rostock, who moved to Berlin in 1842 and found work in a foundry. Another notable figure from this era was Anna Grundei, a writer and poet born in Mecklenburg in 1856, who published several collections of poetry and prose.
Throughout history, the Grundei surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including farmers, merchants, artisans, and intellectuals. While not a particularly widespread or prominent name, it has maintained a presence in northern Germany and has occasionally been carried by individuals of note in their respective fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grundei
Among Census respondents with the surname Grundei, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grundei 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 Grundei surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 92
- Two or more races7.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grundei
Grundei 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
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+4 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 6,723 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 Grundei 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 | #159,712 | #152,989 | 4.2% |
| Count | 101 | 105 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grundei bearers went from 101 to 105 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 6,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Grundei surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grundei?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Grundei. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Grundei?
Grundei ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Grundei. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Grundei.
Has Grundei become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grundei went from 101 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 4 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Grundei?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grundei, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) 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 Grundei in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grundei appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (7.6%), 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 Grundei (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 Grundei mean?
A German surname derived from Middle Low German meaning "green egg" or referring to someone from Grundeiche. 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 Grundei (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 Grundei?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.