Grettel
A feminine diminutive form of Margaret, derived from Greek meaning "pearl".
Name Census estimates that about 1,041 living Americans carry the first name Grettel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Grettel today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Grettel births was 2018 (94 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Grettel. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Grettel is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 329,255 Americans
Peak year
2018
94 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,350
Tracked since 1993
Census
Grettel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 874 people with the first name Grettel, which placed it at #13,712 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#13,712
National first-name rank
People counted
874
874 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
95.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grettel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Grettel is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Black (1.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Grettel 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Grettel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.7% · 836
- White2.9% · 25
- Black or African American1.0% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
Popularity
Grettel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Grettel from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 585 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Grettel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Grettel by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Grettel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Grettels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, Arizona recorded the most babies named Grettel, while Florida, Colorado, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 98 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Grettel
The name Grettel is a diminutive form of the German name Greta, which is derived from the Greek word "greta" meaning "pearl." This name has its origins in ancient Greece, where pearls were highly valued and considered symbols of purity and innocence.
The earliest recorded use of the name Grettel can be traced back to the 16th century in Germany. It was a popular name among German-speaking communities and was often used as a nickname or pet name for girls named Greta or Margareta.
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Grettel is Grettel Legler, a German folk hero from the 17th century. She was known for her bravery and heroism during the Thirty Years' War when she helped defend her village against invading soldiers.
Another notable figure with the name Grettel is Grettel Grimm, the sister of the famous Brothers Grimm. She was an influential figure in the preservation and publication of German folk tales and is credited with contributing many stories to the Grimm's collection.
In the 19th century, Grettel Schroeder was a German painter and artist who gained recognition for her beautiful landscapes and portraiture. Her works are now displayed in various museums throughout Europe.
Grettel von Arnim was a German writer and novelist from the early 20th century. She was known for her introspective and poetic writing style, which explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
Grettel Bergmann was a Jewish German high jumper who was denied the opportunity to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics due to her religion. Despite facing discrimination, she went on to become a successful athlete and advocate for human rights.
While the name Grettel is not as common today as it once was, it carries a rich cultural heritage and has been borne by many notable figures throughout history. Its connection to pearls and innocence has contributed to its enduring charm and appeal.
People
Grettel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Grettel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Grettel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Grettel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,041 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Grettel going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 329,255 US residents.
Is Grettel a common name?
We classify Grettel as "Rare". It ranks above 90.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,049 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Grettel most popular?
The single biggest year for Grettel was 2018, when 94 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Grettel is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Grettel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 874 people with the name Grettel, or 0.29 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,712 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Grettel in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Grettel?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Grettel appears almost entirely female. Of the 880 people counted with this name, 99.3% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Grettel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Grettel is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.9%) and Black (1.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Grettel most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Grettel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (836 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Grettel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Grettel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Grettel in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Grettel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Grettel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Grettel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Grettel?
Want to know how many Americans are named Grettel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.