2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grzan
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word "grzan" meaning heated.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Grzan. 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 Grzan 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 Grzan 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 Grzan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grzan
The surname GRZAN is of Polish origin, derived from the word "grząska," which means "marshy ground" or "swamp." The name is believed to have originated in the 14th century among Polish families who lived in or near marshy areas.
The earliest recorded mention of the GRZAN surname can be found in a Polish church record from 1412, where a man named Jan Grzan was listed as a resident of a small village near the town of Bydgoszcz. This region, situated in northern Poland, was known for its numerous swamps and wetlands, which may have contributed to the surname's initial use.
In the 16th century, the name GRZAN appeared in several historical documents from the town of Brodnica, located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region of Poland. One notable individual was Maciej Grzan, a merchant and landowner who was born in 1532 and died in 1608.
During the 17th century, the GRZAN surname spread across various regions of Poland, including the areas around the cities of Gdańsk, Toruń, and Warsaw. A prominent figure from this period was Jakub Grzan (1625-1698), a renowned scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Kraków.
In the 18th century, the name GRZAN was associated with several notable individuals, such as Józef Grzan (1712-1789), a Polish military officer who served in the army of King Stanisław August Poniatowski. Another individual was Anna Grzan (1744-1812), a philanthropist and landowner from the town of Płock.
The 19th century saw the GRZAN surname continue to be widely used throughout Poland. One notable figure was Franciszek Grzan (1822-1892), a prominent architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Warsaw.
Throughout its history, the GRZAN surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including merchants, landowners, scholars, military officers, and architects. Despite its Polish origins, the name has also been recorded in other parts of Eastern Europe, particularly in areas with significant Polish populations or historical ties to Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grzan
Among Census respondents with the surname Grzan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grzan 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 Grzan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 97
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grzan
Grzan 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 2,944 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 Grzan 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 | #149,395 | #152,339 | -2.0% |
| Count | 110 | 106 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grzan bearers went from 110 to 106 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 2,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #152,339.
FAQ
Grzan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grzan?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Grzan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Grzan?
Grzan 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 Grzan. 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 Grzan.
Has Grzan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grzan went from 110 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Grzan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grzan, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (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 Grzan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grzan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (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 Grzan (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 Grzan mean?
A Polish surname derived from the Polish word "grzan" meaning heated. 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 Grzan (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 Grzan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.