2000
#8,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Groover
An occupational surname for someone who made or fitted grooves, particularly in mining or carpentry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,036 Americans carry the last name Groover. That puts it at #8,922 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,924 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Groover 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
4.0K
1 in 84,924
Census rank
#8,922
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,520 bearers of the surname Groover in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8922nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Groover, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Groover
The surname Groover is of German origin, derived from the word "Grube" which means "pit" or "mine". It is believed to have originated in the 16th century in the mining regions of Germany, where it was likely an occupational surname given to those who worked in the mines or lived near mining areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Groover can be found in the parish records of Saxony, Germany, where a Hans Groover was mentioned in 1567. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as tax records and land deeds.
As the name spread throughout Germany and beyond, it underwent several spelling variations, including Grover, Gruber, and Groeber. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preference of the individual families.
In the 17th century, the name Groover began to appear in other parts of Europe, including England and the Netherlands. One notable figure from this period was Johann Groover (1623-1677), a German-born Protestant minister who emigrated to England and became a prominent theologian and writer.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many Groover families left their ancestral homes in Germany and other parts of Europe to seek new opportunities in the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was that of Johann Groover (1789-1865), who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1800s and worked as a farmer.
Another notable figure with the surname Groover was Wilhelm Groover (1832-1901), a German engineer who made significant contributions to the development of the steam engine. He was born in Saxony and later immigrated to the United States, where he worked for several prominent engineering firms.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Groover also gained prominence in the field of music. One such figure was George Groover (1876-1945), an American jazz pianist and composer who was influential in the early development of ragtime music.
As the Groover name spread across the globe, it continued to be associated with various professions and industries, from mining and engineering to music and the arts. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the mining communities of Germany in the 16th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Groover
Among Census respondents with the surname Groover, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Groover 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 Groover surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 2,857
- Black or African American10.8% · 381
- Two or more races4.3% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Groover
Groover 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
#8,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,678
+89 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 450 places
2020
#8,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,520
-158 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,454 | 3,589 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,904 | 3,678 | 1.25 | +89 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 450 places |
| 2020 | #8,922 | 3,520 | 1.18 | -158 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 18 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 Groover 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 | #8,904 | #8,922 | -0.2% |
| Count | 3,678 | 3,520 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.18 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Groover bearers went from 3,678 to 3,520 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,904 to #8,922.
FAQ
Groover surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Groover?
Name Census estimates that about 4,036 living Americans carry the surname Groover. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,924 residents.
How common is Groover?
Groover ranks #8,922 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,520 people with the surname Groover. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,036), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Groover.
Has Groover become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Groover went from 3,678 recorded bearers to 3,520. That is a decrease of 158 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,904 to #8,922.
What does the Census say about the background of Groover?
Among Census respondents with the surname Groover, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Groover in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (2,857 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Groover appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Black (10.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Groover (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 Groover mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made or fitted grooves, particularly in mining or carpentry. 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 Groover (1.18 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 Groover?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.