2000
#4,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,508
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.41
Rare Last name
Groth
Derived from Middle Low German, referring to a large or tall person, or someone from a place called Grothe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,887 Americans carry the last name Groth. That puts it at #5,589 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Groth 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
6.9K
1 in 49,768
Census rank
#5,589
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,006 bearers of the surname Groth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5589th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Groth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Groth
The surname Groth has its origins in northern Germany, originating sometime in the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Middle Low German word "grote," meaning "great" or "large." This name likely referred to a person of large stature or one who was considered a prominent member of the community.
In the 13th century, the name Groth appeared in records from the city of Lübeck, a major trading center in the Hanseatic League. A merchant named Hinrich Groth is mentioned in these records, indicating the name's presence in this region during that time.
The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Groth dates back to the 14th century, when a farmer named Claus Groth was listed in the village records of Malchow, near the city of Schwerin in modern-day Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
In the 16th century, a notable individual named Johann Groth (1563-1637) was a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Rostock. His writings on theology and biblical exegesis were widely read and influential during the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure bearing the surname Groth was Hans Groth (1493-1564), a German architect and master builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg.
During the 17th century, a family of Groth landowners and noblemen can be traced to the region of Pomerania, now divided between modern-day Germany and Poland. One member of this family, Joachim von Groth (1619-1688), was a military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War.
In the 19th century, Klaus Groth (1819-1899) was a renowned writer and poet from Schleswig-Holstein, known for his works written in the Low German dialect. His poems and stories celebrating rural life and the beauty of the northern German landscape made him a prominent figure in the literary tradition of the region.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the surname Groth have included Grothe, Grote, and Groten, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes in different areas of northern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Groth
Among Census respondents with the surname Groth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Groth 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 Groth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 5,571
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 204
- Two or more races2.2% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 62
- Black or African American0.4% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Groth
Groth 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
#5,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,434
-74 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 450 places
2020
#5,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,006
-428 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,960 | 6,508 | 2.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,410 | 6,434 | 2.18 | -74 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 450 places |
| 2020 | #5,589 | 6,006 | 2.01 | -428 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 179 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 Groth 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 | #5,410 | #5,589 | -3.3% |
| Count | 6,434 | 6,006 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.01 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Groth bearers went from 6,434 to 6,006 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,410 to #5,589.
FAQ
Groth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Groth?
Name Census estimates that about 6,887 living Americans carry the surname Groth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,768 residents.
How common is Groth?
Groth ranks #5,589 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,006 people with the surname Groth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,887), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Groth.
Has Groth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Groth went from 6,434 recorded bearers to 6,006. That is a decrease of 428 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,410 to #5,589.
What does the Census say about the background of Groth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Groth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) 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 Groth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (5,571 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Groth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.4%), 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 Groth (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 Groth mean?
Derived from Middle Low German, referring to a large or tall person, or someone from a place called Grothe. 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 Groth (2.01 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 Groth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.