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

Grimshaw, 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 Grimshaw surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grimshaw in America

Grimshaw is the 13964th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grimshaw surname appeared 2,160 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 Grimshaw.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grimshaw 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 Grimshaw

The surname Grimshaw originated in England, derived from the Old English words "grim" meaning "fierce" or "grim-looking" and "sceaga" meaning "grove" or "shaw", referring to a dense thicket or wooded area. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the late 12th or early 13th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grimshaw can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, which mentions a person named Richard de Grymeshagh. This spelling variation highlights the connection to the location of the same name, likely a hamlet or village in Lancashire.

In the 16th century, the Grimshaw family was well-established in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. Records from this time show various spellings such as Grymshaw, Grymshawe, and Grymeshawe. One notable figure was John Grimshaw (c. 1545-1637), a clergyman who served as the Vicar of Blackburn from 1589 until his death.

During the English Civil War period in the 17th century, a Grimshaw family member named Adam Grimshaw (c. 1610-1685) was a prominent Puritan preacher and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Sermon Preached at the Publique Entrance of Mr. John Angier" in 1655.

In the 18th century, the Grimshaw name gained further recognition with the life of William Grimshaw (1708-1763), an Anglican clergyman and influential figure in the Methodist movement. He was born in Brindle, Lancashire, and served as the Vicar of Haworth, West Yorkshire, from 1742 until his death.

Another notable individual was Sir Samuel Grimshaw (1619-1700), an English politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1660 and 1661. He played a significant role in the restoration of the monarchy after the English Civil War.

The Grimshaw surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Grimshaw Lane in Blackburn, Grimshaw Park in Leyland, and Grimshaw Street in Preston, all located in Lancashire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grimshaw

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

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

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

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