2000
#11,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Grassi
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who cuts or sells grass or hay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,736 Americans carry the last name Grassi. That puts it at #12,421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,276 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grassi 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Grassi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,276
Census rank
#12,421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,386 bearers of the surname Grassi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grassi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grassi
The surname Grassi is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian word "grasso" meaning "fat" or "stout." It likely originated as a nickname for a person of larger stature or build.
The earliest known record of the name Grassi dates back to the late 13th century in the region of Tuscany, Italy. Documents from this time period show the name spelled as "Grassus" or "Grassi."
In the 14th century, the Grassi family gained prominence in the city of Florence, where they were involved in various trades and professions. A notable member was Desiderio Grassi (1324-1398), a renowned painter and artist from Florence.
During the Renaissance period, the Grassi name appeared in several important manuscripts and records. One example is the Codice Rustici, a 15th-century collection of drawings and writings from Florence, which mentions a certain Giovanni Grassi, a merchant and patron of the arts.
The name Grassi has also been associated with several place names in Italy, such as Grassina, a town near Florence, and Grassano, a town in the province of Matera.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Grassi, including:
1. Orazio Grassi (1583-1654), an Italian Jesuit priest, mathematician, and astronomer known for his work in optics and his contributions to the scientific revolution.
2. Giovanni Battista Grassi (1775-1834), an Italian architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Milan.
3. Faustino Grassi (1836-1902), an Italian pianist and composer known for his virtuosic piano works and his teaching at the Milan Conservatory.
4. Eugenia Grassi (1876-1958), an Italian operatic soprano who performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and other major opera houses.
5. Goffredo Grassi (1905-1994), an Italian film director and screenwriter who worked during the Golden Age of Italian cinema.
The surname Grassi has remained prevalent in Italy, particularly in regions like Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy, where it has a long-standing presence and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grassi
Among Census respondents with the surname Grassi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grassi 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 Grassi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 2,170
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 147
- Two or more races1.8% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grassi
Grassi 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
#11,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,629
+63 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 608 places
2020
#12,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,386
-243 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 514 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,299 | 2,566 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,907 | 2,629 | 0.89 | +63 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 608 places |
| 2020 | #12,421 | 2,386 | 0.80 | -243 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 514 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 Grassi 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 | #11,907 | #12,421 | -4.3% |
| Count | 2,629 | 2,386 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.80 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grassi bearers went from 2,629 to 2,386 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 514 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,907 to #12,421.
FAQ
Grassi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grassi?
Name Census estimates that about 2,736 living Americans carry the surname Grassi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,276 residents.
How common is Grassi?
Grassi ranks #12,421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,386 people with the surname Grassi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,736), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Grassi.
Has Grassi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grassi went from 2,629 recorded bearers to 2,386. That is a decrease of 243 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,907 to #12,421.
What does the Census say about the background of Grassi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grassi, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Grassi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (2,170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grassi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Grassi (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 Grassi mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a person who cuts or sells grass or hay. 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 Grassi (0.80 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 last name Grassi?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Grassi at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.