2000
#11,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,576
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Grossi
An Italian occupational surname referring to a wholesale merchant or grocer, derived from the Italian word "grosso," meaning "large" or "bulk."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,800 Americans carry the last name Grossi. That puts it at #12,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grossi 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 Grossi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,412
Census rank
#12,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,442 bearers of the surname Grossi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grossi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grossi
The surname GROSSI originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian word "grosso," which means "fat" or "large." This name was likely given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who was large or stout in stature.
The earliest recorded instances of the GROSSI surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Lombardy, and Emilia-Romagna. The name appears in historical documents and records from this time period, such as tax rolls, property deeds, and local censuses.
One of the earliest known bearers of the GROSSI surname was Iacopo Grossi, a wealthy merchant and banker from Florence who lived in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in several Florentine chronicles and documents from that era.
During the Renaissance period, the GROSSI family gained prominence in various Italian cities. Notable individuals include Giovanni Grossi (1435-1508), a renowned architect from Milan who designed several churches and buildings in the city, and Antonio Grossi (1576-1642), a celebrated painter from Ferrara known for his religious and mythological works.
In the 18th century, the GROSSI surname was associated with the noble Grossi family from the city of Treviso, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. This family owned vast estates and held influential positions in the Venetian Republic. One prominent member was Girolamo Grossi (1703-1776), a respected jurist and legal scholar.
Another notable figure was Tommaso Grossi (1790-1853), a celebrated Italian poet, novelist, and playwright from Milan. He is best known for his romantic epic poem "I Lombardi alla prima crociata" (The Lombards at the First Crusade), published in 1826.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Grossi (1820-1894) was an Italian politician and statesman who served as a deputy in the Italian Parliament and held various governmental positions during the unification of Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grossi
Among Census respondents with the surname Grossi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Grossi 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 Grossi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,227
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 129
- Two or more races2.2% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 26
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grossi
Grossi 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
#11,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,657
+81 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 527 places
2020
#12,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,442
-215 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 383 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,265 | 2,576 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,792 | 2,657 | 0.90 | +81 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 527 places |
| 2020 | #12,175 | 2,442 | 0.82 | -215 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 383 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 Grossi 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 | #11,792 | #12,175 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,657 | 2,442 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.82 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grossi bearers went from 2,657 to 2,442 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 383 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,792 to #12,175.
FAQ
Grossi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grossi?
Name Census estimates that about 2,800 living Americans carry the surname Grossi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,412 residents.
How common is Grossi?
Grossi ranks #12,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,442 people with the surname Grossi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Grossi.
Has Grossi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grossi went from 2,657 recorded bearers to 2,442. That is a decrease of 215 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,792 to #12,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Grossi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grossi, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Grossi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grossi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Grossi (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 Grossi mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a wholesale merchant or grocer, derived from the Italian word "grosso," meaning "large" or "bulk." 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 Grossi (0.82 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 Grossi?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Grossi at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.