2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Grummons
An English surname derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "grumbler" or "grumpy person".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Grummons. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grummons 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Grummons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grummons, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grummons
The surname Grummons is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest known recordings dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "grumman," which means "a man of grim or surly disposition." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with a stern or gruff demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a John Grummons was christened in 1587. Another early record comes from the Lancashire Wills and Inventories from the year 1617, which mentions a Richard Grummons from the town of Clitheroe.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread across various parts of England, with records showing Grummons families in counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Derbyshire. One notable Grummons from this period was William Grummons (c. 1630-1708), a wealthy landowner and magistrate from the village of Grimston in Yorkshire.
As the centuries progressed, the name underwent several spelling variations, including Grumons, Grummans, and Grumman. One of the earliest instances of the "Grumman" spelling can be found in the baptismal records of St. Mary's Church in Bridlington, Yorkshire, where a Thomas Grumman was christened in 1692.
In the 19th century, the Grummons name gained prominence with the birth of Samuel Grummons (1825-1899), a successful industrialist and inventor from Lancashire. He is credited with developing several innovative textile manufacturing processes that revolutionized the industry.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the Grummons name was Elizabeth Grummons (1856-1924), a pioneering educator and women's rights advocate from Derbyshire. She founded one of the first girls' schools in the region and campaigned tirelessly for equal educational opportunities for women.
As the name spread across the globe through emigration, it also found its way to the United States. One of the earliest known American Grummons was John Grummons (1789-1867), a farmer from Virginia who served in the War of 1812. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country, including Texas and California.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the Grummons name was the aviator and aerospace engineer Leroy Grummons (1895-1964), who co-founded the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation in 1929. The company, later known as Grumman Aerospace Corporation, played a pivotal role in the development of several iconic military and civilian aircraft, including the F-14 Tomcat fighter jet and the Apollo Lunar Module that landed on the moon.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grummons
Among Census respondents with the surname Grummons, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grummons 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 Grummons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 112
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grummons
Grummons 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+4 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,020 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 5,020 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,582 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 Grummons 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 | #132,206 | #142,788 | -8.0% |
| Count | 128 | 119 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grummons bearers went from 128 to 119 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,582 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #142,788.
FAQ
Grummons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grummons?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Grummons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Grummons?
Grummons ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Grummons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Grummons.
Has Grummons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grummons went from 128 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Grummons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grummons, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Grummons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grummons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Grummons (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 Grummons mean?
An English surname derived from a Middle English nickname meaning "grumbler" or "grumpy person". 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 Grummons (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 surname Grummons?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.