2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grunklee
A surname derived from a Germanic origin, potentially related to a specific location or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Grunklee. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grunklee 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Grunklee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grunklee, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grunklee
The surname GRUNKLEE is believed to have originated in the northern regions of England during the late Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from an Old English compound word that combined elements meaning "grumpy" and "clearing" or "glade." This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in or near a forested area with a gruff or curmudgeonly demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire from 1301, where a certain Willelmus Grunklee is listed as a landowner in the village of Bradfield. This provides evidence that the name was already well-established in that region by the early 14th century.
The Grunklee family seemed to have a strong presence in the Yorkshire Dales area throughout the medieval and early modern periods. Church records from the 16th and 17th centuries show variations like Grunclee, Grunckley, and Grunklie appearing regularly in parishes around Skipton and Settle.
A notable early bearer of the name was Richard Grunklee (c.1510-1583), a prosperous wool merchant from Gargrave who served as a churchwarden and left a substantial estate upon his death. His grandson, also named Richard (1562-1627), achieved some renown as a local magistrate and landowner in Malhamdale.
During the English Civil War, Captain John Grunklee (1605-1651) fought for the Royalist forces and was killed at the Battle of Wigan Lane. A century later, William Grunklee (1723-1801) made his mark as a pioneering engineer involved in constructing some of Britain's earliest canals.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold, the Grunklee name spread from its Yorkshire heartlands. Joseph Grunklee (1782-1866) established a successful textile mill in Rochdale, while his nephew Josiah (1815-1891) became a noted educator and school administrator in Manchester.
Throughout its long history, the surname GRUNKLEE has maintained an overwhelmingly English character, with only sporadic instances of migration to other regions or countries. Its origins remain firmly rooted in the rugged landscapes of northern England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grunklee
Among Census respondents with the surname Grunklee, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grunklee 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 Grunklee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 109
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grunklee
Grunklee 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
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,791 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+8 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,504 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,791 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.4%) | Up 6,504 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 Grunklee 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 | #145,028 | 4.3% |
| Count | 108 | 116 | 7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grunklee bearers went from 108 to 116 (+7.4% change). The surname moved up 6,504 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #145,028.
FAQ
Grunklee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grunklee?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Grunklee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Grunklee?
Grunklee ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Grunklee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Grunklee.
Has Grunklee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grunklee went from 108 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 8 (+7.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Grunklee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grunklee, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Grunklee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grunklee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Black (0.9%). 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 Grunklee (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 Grunklee mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic origin, potentially related to a specific location or occupation. 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 Grunklee (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 people have the last name Grunklee?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Grunklee, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.