2000
#54,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 357
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Greinke
A surname of German origin meaning "small branch" or "twig".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 343 Americans carry the last name Greinke. That puts it at #70,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 999,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greinke 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
343
1 in 999,284
Census rank
#70,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
299
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 299 bearers of the surname Greinke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 70545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greinke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greinke
The surname Greinke is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the German word "grün," which means "green," and may have been used to describe someone who lived near a green or verdant area.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Greinke can be found in the town records of Fürth, a city in Bavaria, where a man named Hans Greinke was mentioned in a document dating back to 1583. The name was also found in other historical documents from the region, such as church records and land registries.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Greinke surname began to spread across various parts of Germany and neighboring countries. Some notable individuals with this surname include Johann Greinke (1689-1759), a German composer and organist who was born in Nuremberg, and Friedrich Greinke (1801-1864), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament.
In the 19th century, the Greinke surname found its way to other parts of Europe and even to the United States. One notable American with this surname was Gustav Greinke (1838-1923), a German immigrant who served as a Union soldier during the American Civil War and later became a successful businessman in Wisconsin.
Another significant figure was Wilhelm Greinke (1855-1934), a German engineer and inventor who is credited with developing the first practical rotary printing press, which revolutionized the printing industry.
As the Greinke family spread across different regions, the spelling of the name evolved slightly, with variations such as Greinka, Greinke, and Greynke appearing in various records. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in its German heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greinke
Among Census respondents with the surname Greinke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Greinke 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 Greinke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 279
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 6
- Two or more races1.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greinke
Greinke 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
#60,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 331
-26 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 6,638 places
2020
#70,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
-32 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 9,755 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,152 | 357 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,790 | 331 | 0.11 | -26 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 6,638 places |
| 2020 | #70,545 | 299 | 0.10 | -32 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 9,755 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 Greinke 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 | #60,790 | #70,545 | -16.0% |
| Count | 331 | 299 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greinke bearers went from 331 to 299 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 9,755 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,790 to #70,545.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Greinke
FAQ
Greinke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greinke?
Name Census estimates that about 343 living Americans carry the surname Greinke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 999,284 residents.
How common is Greinke?
Greinke ranks #70,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 299 people with the surname Greinke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Greinke.
Has Greinke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greinke went from 331 recorded bearers to 299. That is a decrease of 32 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #60,790 to #70,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Greinke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greinke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Greinke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (279 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greinke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Greinke (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 Greinke mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "small branch" or "twig". 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 Greinke (0.10 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 are called Greinke?
See how common the surname Greinke is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.