2000
#2,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,740
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.46
Uncommon Last name
Grubb
An English occupational surname referring to someone who dug or cleared out ditches or drains.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,991 Americans carry the last name Grubb. That puts it at #2,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,434 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grubb 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 Grubb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,434
Census rank
#2,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,945 bearers of the surname Grubb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubb, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grubb
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubb, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Grubb 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 Grubb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 12,775
- Two or more races3.2% · 453
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 329
- Black or African American1.9% · 265
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grubb
Grubb 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
#2,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,673
-67 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 4.97
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#2,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,945
-728 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 4.67
Rank movement Down 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,262 | 14,740 | 5.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,456 | 14,673 | 4.97 | -67 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #2,519 | 13,945 | 4.67 | -728 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 63 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 Grubb 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 | #2,456 | #2,519 | -2.6% |
| Count | 14,673 | 13,945 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.97 | 4.67 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grubb bearers went from 14,673 to 13,945 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,456 to #2,519.
FAQ
Grubb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grubb?
Name Census estimates that about 15,991 living Americans carry the surname Grubb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,434 residents.
How common is Grubb?
Grubb ranks #2,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,945 people with the surname Grubb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,991), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Grubb.
Has Grubb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grubb went from 14,673 recorded bearers to 13,945. That is a decrease of 728 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,456 to #2,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Grubb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubb, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Grubb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (12,775 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grubb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Grubb (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 Grubb mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who dug or cleared out ditches or drains. 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 Grubb (4.67 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 Grubb?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.