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

Grimes, 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 Grimes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grimes in America

Grimes is the 686th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grimes surname appeared 50,245 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 17 people would have the surname Grimes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grimes 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 Grimes

The surname Grimes originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It derives from the Old French word "grime," meaning a mask or a dark, soiled appearance. The name likely referred to someone with a swarthy complexion or perhaps a profession that involved working with soot or dirt.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grimes appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where a Richard Gryme is mentioned. The surname is also found in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which reference a William Gryme.

The Grimes surname has several spelling variations, including Grime, Grym, and Grimshawe. These variations can be found in historical documents from different regions of England. For example, the spelling "Grimshawe" was more common in Lancashire, possibly derived from a place name.

In the late 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Thomas Grimes, an English dramatist and pamphleteer who was born around 1570. He is best known for his plays "The Modell of a New Fayre" and "The Punycke Warre."

Another prominent figure was Sir Edward Grimes (1561-1627), an English naval commander and explorer who led expeditions to the West Indies and South America. He was knighted in 1618 for his services to the Crown.

During the English Civil War, John Grimes (1604-1678) was a prominent Puritan clergyman and member of the Westminster Assembly, which helped shape the doctrine and government of the Church of England.

In the 18th century, Samuel Grimes (1744-1811) was a British naval officer who played a crucial role in the Battle of Camperdown during the French Revolutionary Wars.

One of the most notable bearers of the Grimes surname was Sir Bryan Grimes (1828-1905), a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honor in the British Empire, for his bravery during the siege of Delhi.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grimes

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

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 Grimes 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 Grimes 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 Grimes was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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