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

Grinder, 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 Grinder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grinder in America

Grinder is the 19306th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grinder surname appeared 1,402 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Grinder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grinder 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 Grinder

The surname Grinder is derived from the Old English word "grindan" which means "to grind". This occupation-based surname was given to millers or those who worked grinding grains. The earliest records of the name can be traced back to the county of Suffolk in England during the early 13th century.

In the Feet of Fines for Suffolk from 1206, a John le Grindere is mentioned. The "le" prefix was commonly used in Middle English to denote a person's occupation or place of origin. This suggests that John Grindere was likely a miller or someone who worked grinding grains during that time period.

The Grinder surname is also found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were records of landowners in various counties. In this record, a William le Gryndere is listed as a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire, further solidifying the connection between the name and the occupation of grinding grains.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Grinder surname without the "le" prefix can be found in the Patent Rolls of 1330, which mention a Thomas Grinder from the county of Lincolnshire. This suggests that by the 14th century, the surname had evolved from its occupational origins and become a hereditary family name.

Notable individuals with the surname Grinder throughout history include:

1. Sir Thomas Grindall (1512-1583), an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the Elizabethan period for his religious beliefs.

2. John Grinder (1616-1677), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works.

3. Hans Grinder (1723-1795), a German-born clockmaker who immigrated to the American colonies and established a successful clockmaking business in Pennsylvania.

4. Eliza Grinder (1818-1888), an American author and educator who wrote several books on history and geography for children.

5. John Grinder (born 1940), an American linguist and co-founder of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), a controversial approach to communication and personal development.

While the Grinder surname is found in various parts of the world today, its origins can be traced back to the occupation of grinding grains in medieval England. The name's evolution from an occupational descriptor to a hereditary surname reflects the social and cultural changes that occurred during that time period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grinder

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

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

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

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