2000
#13,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Grunwald
From German, referring to someone who lived near a green forest or woods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,879 Americans carry the last name Grunwald. That puts it at #11,914 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grunwald 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Grunwald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,053
Census rank
#11,914
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,511 bearers of the surname Grunwald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11914th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grunwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grunwald
The surname Grunwald is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German words "grun" meaning green, and "wald" meaning forest or woods. This suggests that the name likely originated from a geographical location or settlement situated in a green, forested area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Grunwald can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Hans Grunwald, a merchant from Nuremberg in the late 1400s, and Margaretha Grunwald, a landowner in the village of Schönau in the early 1500s.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various official records and documents, including the Kirchenbücher (church registers) of several German towns and villages. One notable example is the entry for the birth of Johann Grunwald in the parish of Großenhain in Saxony in 1567.
The name Grunwald is also associated with several notable historical figures. One such figure is Caspar Grunwald (1521-1594), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another is Johann Grunwald (1617-1672), a German botanist and naturalist who made important contributions to the study of plant life.
Other notable bearers of the surname include Friedrich Grunwald (1788-1864), a German painter known for his landscapes and portraits, and Gottlieb Grunwald (1839-1891), a German composer and musician who wrote several operas and symphonic works.
The name Grunwald has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as the town of Grünwald near Munich, and the village of Grünwald in Saxony-Anhalt. These place names likely share a similar etymology, referring to green, forested locations.
Overall, the surname Grunwald has a rich history rooted in the German language and culture, dating back to the Middle Ages. It has been borne by notable figures in various fields, from theology and botany to art and music, and continues to be a prominent surname in Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grunwald
Among Census respondents with the surname Grunwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Grunwald 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 Grunwald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,349
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 71
- Two or more races2.2% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grunwald
Grunwald 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
#13,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,356
+233 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 160 places
2020
#11,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,511
+155 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 1,120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,194 | 2,123 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,034 | 2,356 | 0.80 | +233 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 160 places |
| 2020 | #11,914 | 2,511 | 0.84 | +155 bearers (+6.6%) | Up 1,120 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 Grunwald 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 | #13,034 | #11,914 | 8.6% |
| Count | 2,356 | 2,511 | 6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.84 | 5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grunwald bearers went from 2,356 to 2,511 (+6.6% change). The surname moved up 1,120 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,034 to #11,914.
FAQ
Grunwald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grunwald?
Name Census estimates that about 2,879 living Americans carry the surname Grunwald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,053 residents.
How common is Grunwald?
Grunwald ranks #11,914 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,511 people with the surname Grunwald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,879), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Grunwald.
Has Grunwald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grunwald went from 2,356 recorded bearers to 2,511. That is an increase of 155 (+6.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,034 to #11,914.
What does the Census say about the background of Grunwald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grunwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Grunwald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,349 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grunwald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Grunwald (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 Grunwald mean?
From German, referring to someone who lived near a green forest or woods. 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 Grunwald (0.84 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 Grunwald?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.