Explore the Family Name Gruben

The meaning of Gruben

1. Dutch and German: patronymic from the personal name Grub(b)e, possibly a short form of Grubbelt, an altered form of the ancient Germanic name Grimbald, from grim ‘grim, mask’ + bald ‘brave’. 2. Possibly also a shortened form of German Grubenheimer, a nickname attached to the Waldenses in the 14th century in Germany because they met in isolated places, or an American shortened form of Swiss German Grubenmann, a variant of Grube. 3. East German: possibly a nickname of Slavic origin, from Polish gruby ‘big, coarse’ or a cognate in some other Slavic language. Some characteristic forenames: Dutch Kornelis, Onno. German Hans, Kurt.

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

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

The surname Gruben's popularity, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, has seen a modest rise between 2000 and 2010. Ranked 56,526th in 2000, it shifted slightly upward to 56,195th in 2010, marking a 0.59% change. The count of individuals bearing this surname also increased in this period from 338 to 364, indicating a growth rate of 7.69%. However, when proportioned per 100,000 people, it seemed to decrease by 7.69%, moving from 0.13 to 0.12.

20002010Change
Rank#56,526#56,1950.59%
Count3383647.69%
Proportion per 100k0.130.12-7.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gruben

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the Gruben surname identified as White, increasing from 93.20% in 2000 to 95.05% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as two or more races dropped nearly half, from 3.55% to 1.92%. The Hispanic representation among the Gruben surname also shrank by 23.03%, landing at 1.37% in 2010. There were no recorded instances of the Gruben surname among Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities in either census year.

20002010Change
White93.2%95.05%1.98%
Two or More Races3.55%1.92%-45.92%
Hispanic1.78%1.37%-23.03%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%