2000
#61,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Grimstead
A topographic surname derived from a place name meaning "Grim's homestead" or farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 399 Americans carry the last name Grimstead. That puts it at #62,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 859,033 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grimstead 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 Grimstead with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
399
1 in 859,033
Census rank
#62,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
348
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 348 bearers of the surname Grimstead in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 62198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimstead, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grimstead
The surname Grimstead is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It likely stemmed from a place name referring to a settlement or town located in a grim or gloomy area, with "stead" meaning a place or settlement. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be Grymstede in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Grymstede, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1349. This suggests that the name was present in various regions of England by the 14th century. The Grimstead spelling itself can be traced back to the 16th century, with an entry for Thomas Grimstead found in the parish registers of Aldenham, Hertfordshire, in 1564.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several mentions of places with similar names, such as Grimestede in Norfolk and Grimmestede in Suffolk, which may have contributed to the formation of the Grimstead surname. These place names likely referred to settlements surrounded by dense forests or located in areas with grim or foreboding landscapes.
One notable bearer of the Grimstead name was William Grimstead, a 17th-century English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Taunton and Canon of Wells Cathedral. He was born around 1620 and died in 1685.
Another individual worth mentioning is John Grimstead, a 16th-century English landowner and member of the gentry from Hertfordshire. He was born around 1550 and owned estates in the county.
In the 18th century, Thomas Grimstead was a prominent figure in the East India Company, serving as a merchant and factor in Bengal. He was born in 1705 and played a role in the company's trade operations in India during that period.
Moving to the 19th century, Samuel Grimstead was an English architect active in the early part of the 1800s. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including churches and public structures, in various parts of England.
Finally, one of the more recent individuals with the Grimstead surname was Arthur Grimstead, an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. He was born in 1874 and made appearances for the county team between 1895 and 1901.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grimstead
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimstead, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Grimstead 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 Grimstead surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.7% · 253
- Black or African American21.3% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 11
- Two or more races2.9% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grimstead
Grimstead 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
#72,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 268
-40 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 11,510 places
2020
#62,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 348
+80 bearers (+29.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 10,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #61,058 | 308 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #72,568 | 268 | 0.09 | -40 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 11,510 places |
| 2020 | #62,198 | 348 | 0.12 | +80 bearers (+29.9%) | Up 10,370 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 Grimstead 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 | #72,568 | #62,198 | 14.3% |
| Count | 268 | 348 | 29.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.12 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grimstead bearers went from 268 to 348 (+29.9% change). The surname moved up 10,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #72,568 to #62,198.
FAQ
Grimstead surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grimstead?
Name Census estimates that about 399 living Americans carry the surname Grimstead. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 859,033 residents.
How common is Grimstead?
Grimstead ranks #62,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 348 people with the surname Grimstead. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (399), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Grimstead.
Has Grimstead become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grimstead went from 268 recorded bearers to 348. That is an increase of 80 (+29.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #72,568 to #62,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Grimstead?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimstead, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Grimstead in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.7% (253 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grimstead appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.7%), Black (21.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Grimstead (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 Grimstead mean?
A topographic surname derived from a place name meaning "Grim's homestead" or farm. 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 Grimstead (0.12 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 share the surname Grimstead?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.