2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Groby
A surname of English origin possibly referring to someone from the town of Groby.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Groby. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Groby 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.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Groby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Groby, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Groby
The surname GROBY is of English origin, deriving from the place name Groby in Leicestershire. The name itself can be traced back to the Old English words "grafe" meaning grove or small wood, and "by" meaning a farmstead or settlement. Therefore, the original meaning was likely "a settlement by a small wood."
The earliest known recorded example of the surname GROBY dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Groberie." This suggests the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, such as Grobie, Grobey, and Grooby.
One notable figure with the surname GROBY was Sir Thomas Groby (c. 1390-1459), a member of the English gentry who served as the Sheriff of Leicestershire and Warwickshire. His son, also named Thomas Groby (c. 1420-1483), was a prominent landowner and benefactor, founding the Groby Chantry in 1491.
In the 16th century, records show a John Groby (c. 1505-1570) who was a merchant and alderman in the city of London. He was involved in the cloth trade and served as the Master of the Worshipful Company of Drapers in 1557.
Another noteworthy individual was Elizabeth Groby (c. 1675-1720), a pioneer of early modern education for women. She established a successful girls' school in London and published several influential educational treatises.
During the 19th century, a branch of the Groby family emigrated to the United States, where they settled in various parts of the country. One descendant, William Groby (1812-1891), was a prominent lawyer and judge in Ohio, serving on the state's Supreme Court from 1868 to 1876.
While the surname GROBY is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich historical lineage dating back to the Norman Conquest, with roots firmly planted in the English countryside of Leicestershire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Groby
Among Census respondents with the surname Groby, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Groby 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 Groby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 91
- Two or more races11.8% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Groby
Groby appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,193 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 Groby 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 | #147,253 | #149,446 | -1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 110 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Groby bearers went from 112 to 110 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,193 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #149,446.
FAQ
Groby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Groby?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Groby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Groby?
Groby ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Groby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Groby.
Has Groby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Groby went from 112 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Groby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Groby, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.8%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Groby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Groby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Two or More Races (11.8%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Groby (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 Groby mean?
A surname of English origin possibly referring to someone from the town of Groby. 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 Groby (0.04 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 Groby?
If you just want to know how many people are called Groby, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.