2000
#9,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,014
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Gruver
An occupational surname for a miner or pit digger, derived from the German word "Grube" meaning "pit" or "mine."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,481 Americans carry the last name Gruver. That puts it at #10,117 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gruver 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
3.5K
1 in 98,464
Census rank
#10,117
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,036 bearers of the surname Gruver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10117th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gruver, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gruver
The surname Gruver is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the German word "grube," meaning "pit" or "quarry," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have been associated with mining or quarrying activities.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the name, such as Gruber and Grüber, appeared in various German records and manuscripts. One notable mention is found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Heidenheim, where a Johannes Gruber was recorded in 1589.
The earliest recorded example of the Gruver spelling can be traced back to the late 17th century, when a family of that name settled in the Palatinate region of Germany. This region experienced significant religious persecution during that time, leading many families, including the Gruvers, to seek refuge in other parts of Europe and eventually in North America.
One of the earliest known Gruvers to arrive in America was Johann Georg Gruver, who was born in 1677 in the town of Steinbach, Palatinate. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 18th century and settled in the Germantown area of Philadelphia.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Gruver surname. One of the most prominent was Jacob Gruver (1728-1808), a German-American farmer and revolutionary soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Pennsylvania and served in the Pennsylvania Militia during the war.
Another notable Gruver was John Gruver (1768-1857), an early American settler and pioneer who helped establish the town of Groveport, Ohio. He was born in Pennsylvania and later moved to Ohio, where he became a prominent landowner and community leader.
In the 19th century, the Gruver family continued to spread across the United States, with several members achieving notable accomplishments. One such individual was Daniel Gruver (1820-1892), a prominent businessman and banker from Ohio who played a significant role in the development of the state's financial institutions.
Additionally, the Gruver name has been associated with various place names, particularly in Pennsylvania and Ohio, where many Gruver families settled. Examples include Gruver's Mill, a historic site in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and Gruver's Landing, a former community in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
Throughout its history, the surname Gruver has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, from farmers and soldiers to businessmen and community leaders. While its origins can be traced back to Germany and the mining or quarrying industry, the name has since become embedded in the cultural fabric of various regions across the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gruver
Among Census respondents with the surname Gruver, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gruver 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 Gruver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 2,766
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 133
- Two or more races3.3% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gruver
Gruver 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
#10,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,148
+134 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 359 places
2020
#10,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,036
-112 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,878 | 3,014 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,237 | 3,148 | 1.07 | +134 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 359 places |
| 2020 | #10,117 | 3,036 | 1.02 | -112 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 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 Gruver 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 | #10,237 | #10,117 | 1.2% |
| Count | 3,148 | 3,036 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.02 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gruver bearers went from 3,148 to 3,036 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,237 to #10,117.
FAQ
Gruver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gruver?
Name Census estimates that about 3,481 living Americans carry the surname Gruver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,464 residents.
How common is Gruver?
Gruver ranks #10,117 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,036 people with the surname Gruver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,481), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Gruver.
Has Gruver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gruver went from 3,148 recorded bearers to 3,036. That is a decrease of 112 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,237 to #10,117.
What does the Census say about the background of Gruver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gruver, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Gruver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (2,766 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gruver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Gruver (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 Gruver mean?
An occupational surname for a miner or pit digger, derived from the German word "Grube" meaning "pit" or "mine." 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 Gruver (1.02 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 Gruver?
See how common the surname Gruver is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.