2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Grunstra
A surname originating from Groningen, Netherlands, derived from a locality name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Grunstra. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grunstra 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Grunstra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grunstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grunstra
The surname Grunstra has its origins in the Netherlands, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "groen" meaning green and "stra" meaning straw, potentially referring to a farmland area or a person's occupation.
One of the earliest known references to the Grunstra name can be found in the Dutch province of Friesland, where the name appeared in church records from the village of Blessum in the late 1500s. Similar spellings such as Grunstrae and Groenstra were also documented in neighboring villages during this time period.
During the 17th century, the Grunstra name began to spread across the Netherlands, with records showing families bearing this surname in cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In the 1690s, a prominent merchant named Pieter Grunstra (1662-1726) was known for his successful trading ventures in the Dutch East Indies.
As the Dutch expanded their colonial influence, the Grunstra name traveled to other parts of the world. In the late 18th century, a Dutch settler named Jan Grunstra (1749-1821) established a farm in the Cape Colony of South Africa, where his descendants continued to use the surname for generations.
Another notable figure was the Dutch philosopher and theologian Hendrik Grunstra (1801-1874), who authored several influential works on ethics and Christian doctrine during the 19th century.
In more recent history, the Grunstra name has been carried by individuals such as the Dutch painter Willem Grunstra (1872-1944), known for his landscape and still-life works, and the Dutch-American architect Dirk Grunstra (1909-1992), who designed several notable buildings in New York City.
While the surname Grunstra is not among the most common in the Netherlands, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from merchants and farmers to academics and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grunstra
Among Census respondents with the surname Grunstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Grunstra 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 Grunstra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grunstra
Grunstra 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,030 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 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 4,030 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 Grunstra 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 | #155,682 | 2.5% |
| Count | 101 | 100 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grunstra bearers went from 101 to 100 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,030 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #155,682.
FAQ
Grunstra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grunstra?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Grunstra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Grunstra?
Grunstra ranks #155,682 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 100 people with the surname Grunstra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), 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 Grunstra.
Has Grunstra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grunstra went from 101 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Grunstra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grunstra, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Grunstra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grunstra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Grunstra (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 Grunstra mean?
A surname originating from Groningen, Netherlands, derived from a locality name. 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 Grunstra (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 surname Grunstra?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.