Grimmer last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Grimmer

A surname referring to a grim or stern person, or someone living near a pond or ditch.

Grimmer, 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 Grimmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grimmer in America

Grimmer is the 14970th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grimmer surname appeared 1,975 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 Grimmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grimmer 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 14970 14862 0.72%
Count 1,975 1,828 7.73%
Proportion per 100k 0.67 0.68 -1.48%

The history of the last name Grimmer

The surname Grimmer has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "grim," meaning fierce or severe, potentially referring to a person with a stern or grim demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Grimmer can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed individuals by their surnames for tax purposes. The name appeared as "Grym" in these records, suggesting its early spelling variations.

During the medieval period, the name Grimmer was concentrated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia. It may have been associated with certain place names, such as Grimston or Grimshoe, although the direct connections are uncertain.

In the 16th century, notable individuals bearing the surname Grimmer included Thomas Grimmer (c. 1500-1560), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Taunton and the Bishop of Bristol. Another notable figure was Edward Grimmer (c. 1570-1636), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth.

The 17th century saw the emergence of Robert Grimmer (1600-1670), an English politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ipswich. During the same period, John Grimmer (1618-1690) gained recognition as an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge.

In the 18th century, William Grimmer (1705-1783) was a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament for St. Albans. He played a significant role in the debates surrounding the American Revolution and the rights of British colonists.

As the surname Grimmer spread across England, it encountered various spelling variations, such as Grymmer, Grimer, and Grimmer, reflecting the inconsistencies in record-keeping and pronunciation at the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grimmer

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

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 Grimmer was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.48% 1,866
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.61% 12
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.41% 8
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.76% 15
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.42% 28
Hispanic Origin 2.33% 46

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 Grimmer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.48% 96.83% -2.46%
Black 0.61% 0.55% 10.34%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.41% 0.27% 41.18%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.76% 0.71% 6.80%
Two or More Races 1.42% 0.66% 73.08%
Hispanic 2.33% 0.98% 81.57%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Grimmer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/grimmer-surname-popularity/.

"Grimmer last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/grimmer-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Grimmer last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/grimmer-surname-popularity/.

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