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

Grubb, 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 Grubb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grubb in America

Grubb is the 2456th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grubb surname appeared 14,673 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Grubb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grubb 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 Grubb

The surname Grubb is believed to have originated in Germany, where it was derived from the Middle High German word "grube," meaning "pit" or "ditch." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a pit or worked in a mining or quarrying occupation.

In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared as "Grubbe" in various German regions during the 13th and 14th centuries. Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, Grubb. The name also has variations such as Grub, Grube, and Grubbs.

One of the earliest known references to the name Grubb can be found in the Liber Censuum, a 13th-century tax record from the city of Cologne, Germany. This document mentions a person named Henricus Grubbe, suggesting the name was present in this region during that period.

As the name spread across Europe, it appeared in various historical records. In England, the Grubb surname can be traced back to the late 16th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being John Grubb, who was born in Wiltshire in 1585.

Another notable bearer of the Grubb name was Henry Grubb, an English clergyman and writer who lived from 1679 to 1657. He was known for his work "The Mirrour of Divine Love Unveiled," published in 1633.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Grubb name was that of John Grubb, who arrived in Pennsylvania from England in 1677. His descendants went on to play significant roles in the early history of the American colonies.

Among the notable figures with the Grubb surname was Obadiah Grubb, an American Quaker and merchant who lived from 1702 to 1767. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly and played a crucial role in the establishment of the University of Pennsylvania.

Sarah Grubb, born in 1778 in Pennsylvania, was another prominent figure. She was a Quaker minister and activist who advocated for the abolition of slavery and the rights of Native Americans.

In more recent times, the Grubb name has been associated with individuals such as Sir Howard Grubb, an Irish astronomer and telescope maker who lived from 1844 to 1931. His company, Grubb Parsons, was renowned for producing high-quality astronomical instruments.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grubb

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

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 Grubb 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 Grubb 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 Grubb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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