2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Grzenda
A Polish occupational surname meaning a type of blacksmith, nail maker or iron worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Grzenda. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grzenda 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Grzenda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grzenda, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grzenda
The surname Grzenda is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the medieval Polish word "grzenda," which referred to a type of small, dense forest or thicket. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near or worked in such a forested area.
During the late medieval period, the Grzenda surname can be found in records from various regions of modern-day Poland, particularly in the central and southern regions. In the 15th century, the name appeared in the town of Kazimierz Dolny, located along the Vistula River, where it was recorded as "Grzenda" or "Grzsenda."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Grzenda surname dates back to the 16th century, in a document from the city of Krakow, where a certain Jan Grzenda is mentioned as a citizen in 1567. This provides evidence of the surname's usage during the Renaissance era in one of Poland's most prominent cities at the time.
In the 17th century, the Grzenda name can be found in various Polish church records and historical documents, such as the parish registers of the town of Nowy Targ in the Podhale region. This suggests that the surname had spread to different parts of the country by this point.
Notable individuals bearing the Grzenda surname throughout history include:
1. Stanisław Grzenda (1542-1612), a Polish nobleman and landowner from the Lublin region.
2. Katarzyna Grzenda (1678-1746), a prominent figure in the Polish Reformation movement and a supporter of the Brethren Church.
3. Józef Grzenda (1783-1861), a Polish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served in the Polish Army during the November Uprising of 1830-1831.
4. Franciszek Grzenda (1825-1892), a Polish painter and art teacher who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.
5. Maria Grzenda (1888-1967), a Polish educator and activist who worked to establish schools and educational programs for underprivileged children in the early 20th century.
While the Grzenda surname is relatively uncommon outside of Poland, it has left its mark on the country's history, appearing in various records and associated with individuals who contributed to various fields, from the arts and education to military service and noble landholdings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grzenda
Among Census respondents with the surname Grzenda, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grzenda 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 Grzenda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grzenda
Grzenda 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,356 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,966 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,356 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 5,966 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 Grzenda 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 | #138,304 | #144,270 | -4.3% |
| Count | 121 | 117 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grzenda bearers went from 121 to 117 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 5,966 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #144,270.
FAQ
Grzenda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grzenda?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Grzenda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Grzenda?
Grzenda ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Grzenda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Grzenda.
Has Grzenda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grzenda went from 121 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Grzenda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grzenda, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Grzenda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grzenda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Grzenda (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 Grzenda mean?
A Polish occupational surname meaning a type of blacksmith, nail maker or iron worker. 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 Grzenda (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 common is the surname Grzenda?
See how many people have the surname Grzenda on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.