Show ContentsGrunewald History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Grunewald

What does the name Grunewald mean?

The ancient German region of the Rhineland was the original home of the name Grunewald. Grunewald was a local name, a type of hereditary surname that identified people by the places where they lived. Landowners were the first to use local names, often attaching the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from", in some cases as a mark of aristocratic birth. Local names are by far the most common style of German hereditary surname. Grunewald was a name for someone who lived close to the village green. Grunewald is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names.

Early Origins of the Grunewald family

The surname Grunewald was first found in Rhineland, (Strasbourg) where since ancient times the Grunwald family made significant contributions to the region's feudal society. Subsequently, the family became prominent in local affairs and often merged with other distinguished families, some of whom played important roles in the territorial conflicts of the period.

Early History of the Grunewald family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grunewald research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1460, 1528 and 1694 are included under the topic Early Grunewald History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grunewald Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Grunewald include Gruenwald, Gruenewald, Gruenenwald, Grunewald, Gruenwalt, Grunewalt, Grunenwaldt, Grunewalelt, Grunwald, Grunwaldt and many more.

Early Notables of the Grunewald family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Grunewald Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grunewald Ranking

In the United States, the name Grunewald is the 15,815th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Grunewald migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Grunewald, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Grunewald Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Heinrich Grunewald, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1738
  • Heinrich Grunewald, who landed in America in 1738 2
  • Peter Grunewald, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 2
  • Philip Lorentz Grunewald, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 2
  • Hieronimus Grunewald, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1754 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Grunewald Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Andreas Grunewald, who landed in North America in 1837 2
  • P Grunewald, aged 27, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1845 2
  • M A Grunewald, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1849 2
  • Joseph Grunewald, who arrived in North America in 1858 2
  • Conrad Grunewald, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Grunewald (post 1700) +

  • Donald Grunewald (b. 1934), American college president
  • Adam Grünewald (1902-1945), German Schutzstaffel officer
  • José Lino Grünewald (1931-2000), Brazilian intellectual
  • Olivier Grunewald (b. 1959), French photographer and author
  • Isaac Hirsche Grünewald (1889-1946), Swedish-Jewish Expressionist painter who was born in Stockholm


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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