2000
#7,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,258
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Grimaldi
An Italian surname likely derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "gray battle-mighty."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,737 Americans carry the last name Grimaldi. That puts it at #7,726 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,357 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grimaldi 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 Grimaldi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,357
Census rank
#7,726
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,131 bearers of the surname Grimaldi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7726th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimaldi, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grimaldi
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimaldi, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Grimaldi 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 Grimaldi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 3,339
- Hispanic or Latino15.6% · 644
- Two or more races2.3% · 97
- Black or African American0.7% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grimaldi
Grimaldi 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
#7,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,349
+91 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 409 places
2020
#7,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,131
-218 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 93 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,224 | 4,258 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,633 | 4,349 | 1.47 | +91 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 409 places |
| 2020 | #7,726 | 4,131 | 1.38 | -218 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 93 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 Grimaldi 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 | #7,633 | #7,726 | -1.2% |
| Count | 4,349 | 4,131 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.38 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grimaldi bearers went from 4,349 to 4,131 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 93 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,633 to #7,726.
FAQ
Grimaldi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grimaldi?
Name Census estimates that about 4,737 living Americans carry the surname Grimaldi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,357 residents.
How common is Grimaldi?
Grimaldi ranks #7,726 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 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 4,131 people with the surname Grimaldi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 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 Grimaldi.
Has Grimaldi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grimaldi went from 4,349 recorded bearers to 4,131. That is a decrease of 218 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,633 to #7,726.
What does the Census say about the background of Grimaldi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimaldi, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Grimaldi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (3,339 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grimaldi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Hispanic (15.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Grimaldi (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 Grimaldi mean?
An Italian surname likely derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "gray battle-mighty." 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 Grimaldi (1.38 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 are called Grimaldi?
Find out how common the surname Grimaldi is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.