2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grommesh
A Germanized variant of an old Slavic surname representing an occupation or residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Grommesh. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grommesh 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Grommesh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grommesh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grommesh
The surname GROMMESH has its origins in the northern region of the Netherlands, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "grom," which means "grime" or "dirt," and the suffix "-mesh," which is thought to have been a variation of the Dutch word "meester" (master).
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Groningen in 1592, where a "Pieter Grommesh" is mentioned as a local blacksmith. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked with soot and grime, possibly a blacksmith or a chimney sweep.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several historical records in the province of Friesland. A notable figure was Dirk Grommesh (1628-1704), a wealthy merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the local politics of the city of Leeuwarden.
As the Dutch explored and settled in various parts of the world, the name GROMMESH spread to other regions. In the late 18th century, a family by the name of Grommesh can be found living in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), where they were involved in the spice trade.
Another notable figure with this surname was Jan Grommesh (1781-1857), a Dutch naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent figure in the Dutch East Indies. He played a crucial role in the Dutch colonization efforts in the region.
In the 19th century, the name GROMMESH also appeared in South Africa, where some Dutch settlers had established themselves. One such individual was Willem Grommesh (1814-1892), a farmer and landowner in the Cape Colony, who was known for his involvement in local politics and community affairs.
Throughout its history, the name GROMMESH has had various spellings, including Grommesz, Grommeszen, and Grommessen, reflecting the regional dialects and evolving orthography of the Dutch language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grommesh
Among Census respondents with the surname Grommesh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grommesh 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 Grommesh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grommesh
Grommesh 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,464 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,464 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 537 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 Grommesh 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 | #145,220 | #145,757 | -0.4% |
| Count | 114 | 115 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grommesh bearers went from 114 to 115 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 537 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #145,757.
FAQ
Grommesh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grommesh?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Grommesh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Grommesh?
Grommesh ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Grommesh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Grommesh.
Has Grommesh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grommesh went from 114 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Grommesh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grommesh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Grommesh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grommesh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (2.6%), Black (1.7%). 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 Grommesh (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 Grommesh mean?
A Germanized variant of an old Slavic surname representing an occupation or residence. 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 Grommesh (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 Americans have the surname Grommesh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.