Explore the Family Name Grab

The meaning of Grab

1. Polish, Ukrainian, and Rusyn: topographic name from Polish grab, Ukrainian and Rusyn hrab (Russian-oriented transliteration grab) ‘hornbeam’. 2. German and Swiss German: topographic name from Middle High German grabe(n) ‘ditch, (track alongside a) moat’. Some characteristic forenames: German Otto, Markus.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Grab in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Grab saw a decline in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Grab was ranked 23,831st most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to 26,143rd, representing a 9.7% decrease in rank. Similarly, the count of individuals with this surname also decreased from 990 to 936, a reduction of about 5.45%. The proportion of people named Grab per 100,000 population also fell by 13.51%, from 0.37 in 2000 to 0.32 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#23,831	#26,143	-9.7%
Count	990	936	-5.45%
Proportion per 100k	0.37	0.32	-13.51%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Grab

In terms of ethnicity, again based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there were some notable changes from 2000 to 2010. The majority of people with the surname Grab identified as White, although this proportion decreased slightly from 97.88% to 95.83%. There was an increase in those identifying as Hispanic, rising from 1.41% to 2.88%. Interestingly, in 2010, new ethnic identities appeared for the Grab surname. For the first time, some individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander (0.53%) and as having two or more races (0.64%). However, there were no representations from Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnic groups in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	97.88%	95.83%	-2.09%
Hispanic	1.41%	2.88%	104.26%
Two or More Races	0%	0.64%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0.53%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%