2000
#1,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,260
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.99
Uncommon Last name
Groves
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or small forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,220 Americans carry the last name Groves. That puts it at #1,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,592 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Groves 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 Groves with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,592
Census rank
#1,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,737 bearers of the surname Groves in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Groves, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Groves
The surname Groves is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "graf," which means a small wooded area or a thicket. It is believed to have originated as a habitational name, referring to someone who lived near or in a grove of trees.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being Richard del Groves, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, also contains references to various places with names derived from the word "graf," such as Grava and Gravenhungreton.
In the Middle Ages, the surname Groves was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire, where many small woodlands and groves existed. It is likely that the name originated in these regions and spread from there.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Groves, born around 1320 in Gloucestershire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for the county in the late 14th century.
Another notable figure was William Groves, born in 1510 in Worcestershire. He was a prominent merchant and served as the Sheriff of Worcester in 1558.
In the 17th century, the name Groves appeared in various records, such as the Parish Registers of Herefordshire, where the spelling variations "Grove" and "Groves" were used interchangeably.
During the English Civil War (1642-1651), Captain Samuel Groves, born in 1615 in Gloucestershire, fought on the Parliamentarian side and was known for his bravery in battle.
In the 18th century, the name Groves was associated with several notable figures, including the philosopher and writer Abraham Groves (1688-1756), who was born in Gloucestershire and wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics.
One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir William Robert Groves (1816-1893), a renowned British surgeon and pioneer in the field of anesthesia. He was born in Norfolk and made significant contributions to medical science through his research and writings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Groves
Among Census respondents with the surname Groves, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Groves 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 Groves surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 19,441
- Black or African American9.0% · 2,125
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,021
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 812
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 164
Timeline
Historical Census data for Groves
Groves 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
#1,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,629
+369 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 8.35
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#1,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,737
-892 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 7.94
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,336 | 24,260 | 8.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,447 | 24,629 | 8.35 | +369 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #1,462 | 23,737 | 7.94 | -892 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 15 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 Groves 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 | #1,447 | #1,462 | -1.0% |
| Count | 24,629 | 23,737 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 8.35 | 7.94 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Groves bearers went from 24,629 to 23,737 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,447 to #1,462.
FAQ
Groves surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Groves?
Name Census estimates that about 27,220 living Americans carry the surname Groves. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,592 residents.
How common is Groves?
Groves ranks #1,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,737 people with the surname Groves. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,220), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Groves.
Has Groves become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Groves went from 24,629 recorded bearers to 23,737. That is a decrease of 892 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,447 to #1,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Groves?
Among Census respondents with the surname Groves, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Groves in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (19,441 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Groves appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Groves (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 Groves mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or small forest. 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 Groves (7.94 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 Groves?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.