2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grot
German surname derived from "grotte" meaning cave or cavern, likely referring to a person living near such geographical feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Grot. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grot 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Grot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grot, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grot
The surname GROT is of English origin, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "grotta," meaning a pit or hollow, suggesting that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GROT can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset from 1268, where a William Grot is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the southwestern regions of England during that time period.
In the late 14th century, the GROT surname appeared in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, indicating its presence in the northern parts of England as well. This record includes entries for individuals such as Johannes Grot and Robertus Grot.
During the 15th century, the GROT surname gained further prominence, with notable individuals like John Grot (born around 1420), a merchant and landowner from the city of Norwich. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1524 mentioned a Thomas Grot, indicating the name's spread across various counties.
Interestingly, the GROT surname has also been associated with place names, such as Grottington in Wiltshire and Grottesend in Kent. These locations may have influenced the surname's origin or provided a source for its adoption.
Notable individuals with the surname GROT throughout history include:
1. Sir Henry Grot (1583-1647), an English politician and member of parliament for Maldon in Essex.
2. Edward Grot (1701-1784), a renowned English architect known for his work on several churches and country estates.
3. Mary Grot (1765-1838), a pioneering educator and founder of one of the earliest schools for girls in London.
4. William Grot (1819-1891), a British explorer and naturalist who documented several species of plants and animals during his expeditions to Africa.
5. Samuel Grot (1872-1945), an influential American journalist and editor who worked for several prominent newspapers, including the New York Times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grot
Among Census respondents with the surname Grot, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Grot 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 Grot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 113
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grot
Grot 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-7 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,993 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 7,993 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 Grot 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 | #139,228 | #147,221 | -5.7% |
| Count | 120 | 113 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grot bearers went from 120 to 113 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 7,993 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #147,221.
FAQ
Grot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grot?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Grot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Grot?
Grot ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Grot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Grot.
Has Grot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grot went from 120 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Grot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grot, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Grot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Grot (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 Grot mean?
German surname derived from "grotte" meaning cave or cavern, likely referring to a person living near such geographical feature. 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 Grot (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 Grot?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.