2000
#102,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Grimsby
An English surname originating as the name of a fishing town in Lincolnshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 217 Americans carry the last name Grimsby. That puts it at #101,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,579,513 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grimsby 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 Grimsby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
217
1 in 1,579,513
Census rank
#101,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
189
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 189 bearers of the surname Grimsby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 101718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimsby, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grimsby
The surname Grimsby originated in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the town of Grimsby in Lincolnshire. The name Grimsby itself is believed to come from the Old Norse words "Grim" (a personal name) and "by" (meaning a farmstead or village).
Grimsby was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Grime's by." This suggests that the town was named after a person named Grim who likely lived there or owned land in the area. The spelling of the name has evolved over time, with variations such as Grymesby, Grymsby, and Grymesbye appearing in historical records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Grimsby dates back to 1273, when a Richard de Grymesby was mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire. Another early bearer of the name was John de Grimsby, who was listed in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1334.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named William de Grimsby served as a Benedictine monk and theologian. He was born around 1320 and wrote several works on philosophy and theology.
During the 15th century, a Walter Grimsby was recorded as a member of the Guild of Corpus Christi in York in 1446. This guild was a religious and social organization for craftsmen and tradesmen.
In the 16th century, a Thomas Grimsby was mentioned in the records of the Merchant Taylors' Company in London in 1567. This company was a guild for tailors and merchants involved in the cloth trade.
Another individual with the surname Grimsby was Robert Grimsby, who was born in Lincolnshire around 1570. He was a clergyman and served as the rector of Saltfleetby St. Peter in Lincolnshire from 1602 until his death in 1635.
These are just a few examples of people throughout history who bore the surname Grimsby, which has its roots in the medieval English town of the same name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grimsby
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimsby, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Grimsby 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 Grimsby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 173
- Two or more races3.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 4
- Black or African American1.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grimsby
Grimsby 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
#99,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 182
+20 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 3,313 places
2020
#101,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 189
+7 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 2,340 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,691 | 162 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #99,378 | 182 | 0.06 | +20 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 3,313 places |
| 2020 | #101,718 | 189 | 0.06 | +7 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 2,340 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 Grimsby 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 | #99,378 | #101,718 | -2.4% |
| Count | 182 | 189 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | 5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grimsby bearers went from 182 to 189 (+3.8% change). The surname moved down 2,340 positions in the national ranking, going from #99,378 to #101,718.
FAQ
Grimsby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grimsby?
Name Census estimates that about 217 living Americans carry the surname Grimsby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,579,513 residents.
How common is Grimsby?
Grimsby ranks #101,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 189 people with the surname Grimsby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (217), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Grimsby.
Has Grimsby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grimsby went from 182 recorded bearers to 189. That is an increase of 7 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #99,378 to #101,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Grimsby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grimsby, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Grimsby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (173 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grimsby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Grimsby (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 Grimsby mean?
An English surname originating as the name of a fishing town in Lincolnshire. 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 Grimsby (0.06 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 common is the surname Grimsby?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Grimsby is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.