2000
#13,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,024
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Grimshaw
A locational surname referring to someone from Grimshaw, Lancashire, England, likely derived from Old English meaning "dark wood."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,338 Americans carry the last name Grimshaw. That puts it at #14,136 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,602 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grimshaw 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 Grimshaw with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,602
Census rank
#14,136
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,039 bearers of the surname Grimshaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14136th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grimshaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Grimshaw 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 Grimshaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,881
- Two or more races3.4% · 69
- Black or African American1.6% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grimshaw
Grimshaw 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
#13,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,160
+136 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#14,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,039
-121 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,731 | 2,024 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,964 | 2,160 | 0.73 | +136 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #14,136 | 2,039 | 0.68 | -121 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 172 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 Grimshaw 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 | #13,964 | #14,136 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,160 | 2,039 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.68 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grimshaw bearers went from 2,160 to 2,039 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 172 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,964 to #14,136.
FAQ
Grimshaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grimshaw?
Name Census estimates that about 2,338 living Americans carry the surname Grimshaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,602 residents.
How common is Grimshaw?
Grimshaw ranks #14,136 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,039 people with the surname Grimshaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,338), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Grimshaw.
Has Grimshaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grimshaw went from 2,160 recorded bearers to 2,039. That is a decrease of 121 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,964 to #14,136.
What does the Census say about the background of Grimshaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (1.6%). 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 Grimshaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,881 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grimshaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Black (1.6%). 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 Grimshaw (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 Grimshaw mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Grimshaw, Lancashire, England, likely derived from Old English meaning "dark wood." 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 Grimshaw (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Grimshaw?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.