2000
#6,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,211
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Grow
An occupational surname for a farmer or someone who cultivates plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,818 Americans carry the last name Grow. That puts it at #6,445 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,913 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grow 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 Grow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,913
Census rank
#6,445
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,074 bearers of the surname Grow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6445th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grow, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grow
Among Census respondents with the surname Grow, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Grow 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 Grow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 4,582
- Two or more races3.6% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 181
- Black or African American1.3% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grow
Grow 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
#6,474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,246
+35 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 404 places
2020
#6,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,074
-172 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,070 | 5,211 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,474 | 5,246 | 1.78 | +35 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 404 places |
| 2020 | #6,445 | 5,074 | 1.70 | -172 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 29 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 Grow 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 | #6,474 | #6,445 | 0.4% |
| Count | 5,246 | 5,074 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.70 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grow bearers went from 5,246 to 5,074 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,474 to #6,445.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grow
FAQ
Grow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grow?
Name Census estimates that about 5,818 living Americans carry the surname Grow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,913 residents.
How common is Grow?
Grow ranks #6,445 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 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 5,074 people with the surname Grow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,818), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 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 Grow.
Has Grow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grow went from 5,246 recorded bearers to 5,074. That is a decrease of 172 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,474 to #6,445.
What does the Census say about the background of Grow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grow, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Grow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (4,582 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Grow (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 Grow mean?
An occupational surname for a farmer or someone who cultivates plants. 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 Grow (1.70 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 last name Grow?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Grow on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.