2000
#5,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,007
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Grijalva
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Grijalva or Grijalba.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,816 Americans carry the last name Grijalva. That puts it at #4,475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grijalva 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
8.8K
1 in 38,879
Census rank
#4,475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,688 bearers of the surname Grijalva in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grijalva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grijalva
The surname Grijalva is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the town of Grijalva, located in the province of Alicante, Valencia region of Spain. The name Grijalva is derived from the Arabic word "Ghurayra," which means "small creek."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Grijalva can be found in the "Repartimiento de Sevilla," a historical document that recorded the distribution of land and properties among the Christian conquerors of Seville in the 13th century. The document mentions a person named Juan Grijalva, who was granted land in the city.
In the 16th century, the Spanish conquistador Juan de Grijalva (c. 1489-1527) played a significant role in the exploration and conquest of Mexico. He led two expeditions to the Yucatán Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico in 1518 and 1519, paving the way for the eventual conquest of the Aztec Empire by Hernán Cortés.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Grijalva was Jerónimo de Grijalva (c. 1510-1570), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and served as the governor of the province of Chiapas in present-day Mexico.
In the 18th century, José Grijalva (1741-1809) was a renowned Spanish painter and engraver who is best known for his portraits and religious works. He was born in Seville and studied at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid.
In the 20th century, Juan Grijalva (1911-2002) was a notable Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the governor of the state of Tabasco from 1959 to 1964. He played a crucial role in the economic development of the state and the promotion of education and social welfare programs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grijalva
Among Census respondents with the surname Grijalva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grijalva 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 Grijalva surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.6% · 6,964
- White7.4% · 570
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 67
- Two or more races0.5% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 32
- Black or African American0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grijalva
Grijalva 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
#4,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,678
+1,671 bearers (+27.8%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Up 723 places
2020
#4,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,688
+10 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Up 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,342 | 6,007 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,619 | 7,678 | 2.60 | +1,671 bearers (+27.8%) | Up 723 places |
| 2020 | #4,475 | 7,688 | 2.57 | +10 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 144 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 Grijalva 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 | #4,619 | #4,475 | 3.1% |
| Count | 7,678 | 7,688 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.60 | 2.57 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grijalva bearers went from 7,678 to 7,688 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,619 to #4,475.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grijalva
FAQ
Grijalva surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grijalva?
Name Census estimates that about 8,816 living Americans carry the surname Grijalva. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,879 residents.
How common is Grijalva?
Grijalva ranks #4,475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,688 people with the surname Grijalva. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,816), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Grijalva.
Has Grijalva become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grijalva went from 7,678 recorded bearers to 7,688. That is an increase of 10 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,619 to #4,475.
What does the Census say about the background of Grijalva?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grijalva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.6%. The next largest groups are White (7.4%) 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grijalva in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (6,964 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grijalva appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.6%), White (7.4%), 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 Grijalva (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 Grijalva mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Grijalva or Grijalba. 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 Grijalva (2.57 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 Grijalva?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.