Find out how popular the last name Grow is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Grow.

Grow, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Grow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grow in America

Grow is the 6474th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grow surname appeared 5,246 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Grow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grow to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Grow

The surname Grow is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the Old English word "growan," which meant "to grow" or "to flourish." This surname likely referred to someone who lived near a grove or worked as a gardener or farmer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Grow surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Groue." This entry suggests that the name was already in use during the late 11th century in various areas of England.

In the 13th century, the surname was also spelled as "Growe" and "Grover," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. Some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name include William Growe, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, and John Grover, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.

The Grow surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire, where it was often associated with rural settlements and villages. One notable example is the village of Growmore in Gloucestershire, which may have derived its name from the Grow family or vice versa.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Grow surname. One of the earliest was Robert Grow (c. 1570-1640), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. Later, in the 18th century, Robert Grow (1718-1798) was a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament for Cricklade in Wiltshire.

In the 19th century, Galusha A. Grow (1822-1907) was an influential American politician who served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863. Another notable figure was Nathaniel Chew Grow (1833-1892), an American Civil War officer who fought for the Union Army and later became a respected lawyer and judge.

One of the most famous bearers of the Grow surname was Graham Grow (1918-1996), a British actor and film director who appeared in numerous TV shows and movies throughout his career, including iconic roles in "The Prisoner" and "Steptoe and Son."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grow

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Grow.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Grow was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Grow has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Grow was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Grow, please contact us.

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