2000
#8,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,667
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Grimmett
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of fishing nets or snares.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,294 Americans carry the last name Grimmett. That puts it at #8,463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grimmett 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 Grimmett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,822
Census rank
#8,463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,745 bearers of the surname Grimmett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimmett, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grimmett
The surname Grimmett is believed to have originated in England, likely during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "grim," meaning "fierce" or "grim-visaged." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname upon someone with a stern or severe countenance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grimmett can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dating back to 1195, where a certain Walter Grymet is mentioned. The spelling variations "Grymet" and "Grymett" are also found in various medieval records from the 13th and 14th centuries.
The Grimmett surname may have also been associated with certain place names, such as the village of Grimmet in Somerset, which is documented as early as the Domesday Book of 1086. This suggests that some individuals bearing the surname may have derived their name from the location they hailed from.
Notable individuals with the surname Grimmett throughout history include Sir John Grimmett (1549-1617), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Bedfordshire in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Another prominent figure was William Grimmett (1703-1782), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from London, who was instrumental in the development of precision timekeeping devices.
In the literary realm, Elizabeth Grimmett (1773-1835) was an English writer and poet, best known for her collection of poems titled "Gleanings from Nature." Another notable Grimmett was Sir Richard Grimmett (1845-1923), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became a prominent advocate for veterans' rights.
Moving into more recent times, Charles Grimmett (1889-1966) was a highly respected English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and represented England in several Test matches during the early 20th century.
While the surname Grimmett may have evolved over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it likely emerged as a descriptive nickname or association with a specific location. Throughout history, individuals bearing this surname have made significant contributions across various fields, leaving a lasting legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grimmett
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimmett, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grimmett 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 Grimmett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 2,859
- Black or African American14.0% · 524
- Two or more races4.9% · 185
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grimmett
Grimmett 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
#8,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,903
+236 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 157 places
2020
#8,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,745
-158 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,307 | 3,667 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,464 | 3,903 | 1.32 | +236 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 157 places |
| 2020 | #8,463 | 3,745 | 1.25 | -158 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 1 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 Grimmett 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 | #8,464 | #8,463 | 0.0% |
| Count | 3,903 | 3,745 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.25 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grimmett bearers went from 3,903 to 3,745 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,464 to #8,463.
FAQ
Grimmett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grimmett?
Name Census estimates that about 4,294 living Americans carry the surname Grimmett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,822 residents.
How common is Grimmett?
Grimmett ranks #8,463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,745 people with the surname Grimmett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,294), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Grimmett.
Has Grimmett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grimmett went from 3,903 recorded bearers to 3,745. That is a decrease of 158 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,464 to #8,463.
What does the Census say about the background of Grimmett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimmett, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (14.0%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Grimmett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (2,859 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grimmett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.3%), Black (14.0%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Grimmett (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 Grimmett mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of fishing nets or snares. 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 Grimmett (1.25 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 Grimmett?
You can see how common the surname Grimmett is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.