Find out how popular the last name Grimaldi is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Grimaldi.

Grimaldi, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Grimaldi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grimaldi in America

Grimaldi is the 7633rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grimaldi surname appeared 4,349 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Grimaldi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grimaldi to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Grimaldi

The surname Grimaldi is of Italian origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period in the region of Liguria, northwestern Italy. It is derived from the Germanic personal name "Grimoald," which means "grim mask" or "grim battle." This name was quite popular among the Lombards, a Germanic people who ruled large parts of Italy during the 6th to 8th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grimaldi can be found in the 11th century, when a noble family of that name rose to prominence in the Republic of Genoa. The Grimaldis were a powerful dynasty that ruled the principality of Monaco from the late 13th century until the mid-20th century. The first Lord of Monaco from the Grimaldi family was Francesco Grimaldi, who captured the fortress of Monaco in 1297 through a daring military stratagem.

In the 14th century, the name Grimaldi appeared in historical records related to the Republic of Genoa. For instance, Giovanni Grimaldi was a prominent Genoese admiral who fought against the Venetians in the War of Chioggia (1378-1381). Another notable figure from this period was Antonio Grimaldi, a diplomat and statesman who served as the Doge of Genoa from 1435 to 1437.

During the Renaissance, the Grimaldi family continued to play a significant role in Italian politics and culture. One of the most famous members was Girolamo Grimaldi (1597-1685), an Italian architect and painter known for his work on the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome.

In the 19th century, a branch of the Grimaldi family settled in the Kingdom of Naples, where they became prominent landowners and aristocrats. One of the most notable figures from this period was Gennaro Grimaldi (1805-1874), a Neapolitan politician and author who served as the Minister of Public Works in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Beyond Italy, the surname Grimaldi has also been found in other parts of Europe, including France, where it is sometimes spelled "Grimaud." A notable French bearer of this name was Henri Grimaud (1675-1756), a Jesuit mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grimaldi

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Grimaldi.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Grimaldi was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Grimaldi has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Grimaldi was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Grimaldi, please contact us.

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