2000
#7,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,083
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Grosso
An Italian occupational surname referring to a wholesale merchant or someone who worked with large quantities of goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,418 Americans carry the last name Grosso. That puts it at #8,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grosso 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
4.4K
1 in 77,581
Census rank
#8,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,853 bearers of the surname Grosso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosso, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grosso
The surname Grosso is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Italian word "grosso," which means "large" or "big." The name was likely given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who was large in stature or had a significant presence.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Grosso can be found in medieval records from various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Giovanni Grosso, a merchant from Genoa, who was mentioned in a document dated 1352.
In the 15th century, the Grosso surname appeared in several historical records, including the archives of the Republic of Venice. One notable example is Antonio Grosso, a Venetian nobleman and diplomat who served as an ambassador to the court of King Charles VIII of France in the late 1400s.
The name Grosso has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One example is Sebastiano Grosso, an Italian painter and architect who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his work on the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute in Venice, one of the city's most iconic churches.
Another prominent individual with the Grosso surname was Giovanni Battista Grosso, an Italian mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 17th century. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was a member of the renowned Accademia dei Lincei in Rome.
In the 19th century, the Grosso name gained recognition through the works of Italian novelist and playwright Giuseppe Grosso (1824-1889). His novels and plays explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of the working class, earning him a reputation as a prominent voice in the literary world of his time.
The surname Grosso has also been associated with various places and locations throughout Italy. For example, the town of Grosso in the province of Turin, as well as the Grosso River in the Piedmont region, are believed to have derived their names from individuals or families bearing this surname.
While the surname Grosso is more commonly found in Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns. Individuals with this surname can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and other parts of Europe and South America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grosso
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosso, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Grosso 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 Grosso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 3,379
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 348
- Two or more races2.1% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grosso
Grosso 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
#8,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,069
-14 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 631 places
2020
#8,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,853
-216 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,517 | 4,083 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,148 | 4,069 | 1.38 | -14 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 631 places |
| 2020 | #8,236 | 3,853 | 1.29 | -216 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 88 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 Grosso 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 | #8,148 | #8,236 | -1.1% |
| Count | 4,069 | 3,853 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.29 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grosso bearers went from 4,069 to 3,853 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,148 to #8,236.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grosso
FAQ
Grosso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grosso?
Name Census estimates that about 4,418 living Americans carry the surname Grosso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,581 residents.
How common is Grosso?
Grosso ranks #8,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,853 people with the surname Grosso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,418), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Grosso.
Has Grosso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grosso went from 4,069 recorded bearers to 3,853. That is a decrease of 216 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,148 to #8,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Grosso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosso, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Grosso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (3,379 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grosso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (9.0%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Grosso (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 Grosso mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a wholesale merchant or someone who worked with large quantities of goods. 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 Grosso (1.29 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 Grosso?
Want to know how common the surname Grosso is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.