2000
#14,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,944
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Grout
An English occupational surname referring to a worker who makes mortar, plaster, or other grouting material.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,055 Americans carry the last name Grout. That puts it at #15,694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,790 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grout 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 Grout with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,790
Census rank
#15,694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,792 bearers of the surname Grout in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grout, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grout
The surname Grout originated in the region of Normandy in northern France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "grut," which means "gravel" or "sandy soil." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived or worked on gravelly or sandy land.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Grout can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this historical record, the name appears as "de Grut" or "de Grute," indicating that it was likely brought to England by Norman settlers following the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Grout, a knight who lived in the 13th century and served under King Edward I. He played a role in the Welsh Wars and was granted lands in Pembrokeshire, Wales, for his service.
Another significant figure in history with the surname Grout was Thomas Grout (1556-1627), an English clergyman and scholar. He served as the Archdeacon of Shropshire and was known for his work in translating and publishing ancient Greek texts.
In the 17th century, the name Grout appeared in various spellings, including Groute, Growte, and Growt. One individual of note from this period was John Growt (1620-1699), a wealthy merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol, England.
The name Grout also has connections to place names in England, such as Grout's Hill in Gloucestershire and Grout's Farm in Hampshire, which likely originated from individuals with the surname living or owning land in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Grout include:
1. Jonathan Grout (1737-1807), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Vermont.
2. Henry Malcom Grout (1833-1904), a prominent American educator and president of the University of Minnesota from 1888 to 1894.
3. Hilda Grout (1882-1964), a British artist and painter known for her landscape and still life works.
4. Lucien Price Grout (1907-1973), an American geologist and professor at Harvard University who made significant contributions to the study of igneous petrology.
5. Cornelius Grout (1804-1887), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1851 to 1855.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grout
Among Census respondents with the surname Grout, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Grout 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 Grout surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 1,634
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 66
- Two or more races3.1% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grout
Grout 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
#14,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,022
+78 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 528 places
2020
#15,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,792
-230 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 990 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,176 | 1,944 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,704 | 2,022 | 0.69 | +78 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 528 places |
| 2020 | #15,694 | 1,792 | 0.60 | -230 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 990 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 Grout 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 | #14,704 | #15,694 | -6.7% |
| Count | 2,022 | 1,792 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.60 | -13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grout bearers went from 2,022 to 1,792 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 990 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,704 to #15,694.
FAQ
Grout surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grout?
Name Census estimates that about 2,055 living Americans carry the surname Grout. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,790 residents.
How common is Grout?
Grout ranks #15,694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,792 people with the surname Grout. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,055), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Grout.
Has Grout become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grout went from 2,022 recorded bearers to 1,792. That is a decrease of 230 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,704 to #15,694.
What does the Census say about the background of Grout?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grout, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Grout in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (1,634 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grout appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Grout (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 Grout mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a worker who makes mortar, plaster, or other grouting material. 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 Grout (0.60 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 common is the surname Grout?
You can see how many people have the last name Grout on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.