2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Groters
A variant of the Dutch surname Grooten, meaning "the great one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Groters. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Groters 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Groters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Groters, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Groters
The surname Groters is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "groter," which means "larger" or "greater." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was particularly tall or of a larger stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Groters can be found in the Dutch town of Groningen, where a family by that name was documented in the late 1600s. It's possible that the name originated in this region and then later spread to other parts of the Netherlands and beyond.
In terms of historical references, the name Groters does not appear to be prominently featured in any major historical documents or manuscripts. However, this is not unusual for surnames of that era, as record-keeping practices were often less comprehensive than they are today.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Groters was Hendrik Groters, born in Amsterdam in 1674. He was a merchant and trader who was involved in the Dutch East India Company's operations in Indonesia.
Another notable figure was Jan Groters (1702-1778), a Dutch painter and engraver who was known for his landscape paintings and etchings of rural scenes.
In the 19th century, a man named Pieter Groters (1818-1892) made a name for himself as a prominent architect in the city of Rotterdam, where he designed several notable buildings that still stand today.
Moving into the 20th century, Johanna Groters (1901-1985) was a Dutch writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and short stories during her lifetime.
Finally, one of the more recent individuals with the surname Groters was Dirk Groters (1923-2008), a Dutch businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various charitable organizations in his later years.
It's worth noting that the surname Groters, while originating in the Netherlands, has likely spread to other countries over time due to migration and intermarriage. However, the specific origins and historical details provided here pertain primarily to its Dutch roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Groters
Among Census respondents with the surname Groters, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Groters 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 Groters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 96
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Groters
Groters 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-6 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,523 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 483 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 15,523 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 483 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 Groters 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 | #150,452 | #150,935 | -0.3% |
| Count | 109 | 108 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Groters bearers went from 109 to 108 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 483 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #150,935.
FAQ
Groters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Groters?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Groters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Groters?
Groters ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Groters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Groters.
Has Groters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Groters went from 109 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Groters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Groters, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Groters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Groters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Groters (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 Groters mean?
A variant of the Dutch surname Grooten, meaning "the great one." 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 Groters (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 people have the surname Groters?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.