2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grutz
A surname likely derived from a German place name or related to the word "grütze" meaning groats or hulled grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Grutz. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grutz 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Grutz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grutz
The surname GRUTZ is believed to have originated in the region of Germany. The name can be traced back to the early Middle Ages, around the 10th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "grutz," which meant "gravel" or "coarse sand." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a gravelly area or worked with gravel or sand in some capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GRUTZ surname appears in a medieval German manuscript from the 13th century, where a certain "Heinrich Grutz" is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Bavaria. This provides evidence that the name was already well-established by that time.
In the 14th century, there are records of a family named GRUTZ residing in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a picturesque medieval town in the state of Bavaria. This family was likely involved in the construction or maintenance of the town's famous defensive walls, which were built with gravel and stone.
As the name spread across Germany, various spelling variations emerged, such as Gruetz, Grütz, and Grutze. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.
One notable figure with the GRUTZ surname was Hans Grutz (1492-1559), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. He was known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings, many of which depicted biblical scenes and portraits of notable figures of his time.
Another prominent individual was Johanna Grutz (1673-1744), a German philanthropist and benefactor from the city of Frankfurt. She established a charitable foundation that provided educational opportunities and financial support for underprivileged children in the region.
In the 18th century, a man named Wilhelm Grutz (1715-1789) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker in the town of Augsburg. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the wealthy and aristocratic classes of the time.
Moving into the 19th century, we find the poet and writer Friedrich Grutz (1826-1891), who was born in the town of Stendal in the Prussian province of Saxony. He is best known for his romantic poetry and his novels depicting life in rural Germany.
Finally, in the early 20th century, there was Kurt Grutz (1904-1988), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of several German cities after the devastation of World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grutz
Among Census respondents with the surname Grutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grutz 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 Grutz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 95
- Two or more races6.6% · 7
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grutz
Grutz 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,387 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,895 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,387 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,895 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 Grutz 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 | #157,234 | #152,339 | 3.1% |
| Count | 103 | 106 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grutz bearers went from 103 to 106 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,895 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #152,339.
FAQ
Grutz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grutz?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Grutz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Grutz?
Grutz ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Grutz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Grutz.
Has Grutz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grutz went from 103 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Grutz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Grutz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grutz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (6.6%), Black (1.9%). 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 Grutz (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 Grutz mean?
A surname likely derived from a German place name or related to the word "grütze" meaning groats or hulled grain. 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 Grutz (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 surname Grutz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.