2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grubs
A surname derived from a dialect word meaning "grub" or "dig up roots."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Grubs. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grubs 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.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Grubs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubs, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grubs
The surname Grubs has its origins in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "grūb," which referred to a small pit or hollow, often used to describe a small dwelling or a sunken area in the ground.
One of the earliest records of the name Grubs appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1194, where it was listed as "Robertus de la Grube." This suggests that the name may have initially been a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or at a specific grub or pit.
In the 13th century, the name was also recorded in various forms such as "de la Groube" and "atte Groube" in medieval records from Somerset and Worcestershire. These variations indicate that the name was associated with specific locations or dwellings characterized by sunken or pit-like features.
During the 14th century, the surname Grubs began to appear in its more modern spelling. One notable example is John Grubs, a merchant from Bristol who was recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327.
In the 15th century, the name Grubs was found in Norfolk, where a William Grubs was mentioned in the Paston Letters, a collection of historical correspondence from the Paston family. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by that time.
Another notable individual with the surname Grubs was Sir Thomas Grubs, a wealthy landowner from Gloucestershire who lived in the late 16th century. He is known for commissioning the construction of a grand manor house called Grubs Manor in the village of Sapperton.
In the 17th century, the Grubs family had established themselves in various parts of England, with several members holding positions of prominence. One such individual was Richard Grubs, a Member of Parliament for Gloucester in the 1620s.
As the surname spread across England, various place names and locations were associated with it. For instance, the village of Grubbs Copse in Hampshire and the hamlet of Grubbs Ash in Wiltshire are thought to have derived their names from individuals bearing the Grubs surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grubs
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubs, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grubs 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 Grubs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 98
- Black or African American7.1% · 8
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grubs
Grubs 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-17 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 27,066 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+10 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,478 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 27,066 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 10,478 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 Grubs 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 | #158,432 | #147,954 | 6.6% |
| Count | 102 | 112 | 9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grubs bearers went from 102 to 112 (+9.8% change). The surname moved up 10,478 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #147,954.
FAQ
Grubs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grubs?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Grubs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Grubs?
Grubs ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Grubs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Grubs.
Has Grubs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grubs went from 102 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 10 (+9.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Grubs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grubs, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Grubs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grubs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Grubs (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 Grubs mean?
A surname derived from a dialect word meaning "grub" or "dig up roots." 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 Grubs (0.04 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 Grubs?
Want to know how common the surname Grubs is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.