2000
#13,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Grosse
A descriptive surname referring to a person of large physical stature or great influence and importance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,253 Americans carry the last name Grosse. That puts it at #14,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grosse 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 Grosse with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 152,132
Census rank
#14,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,965 bearers of the surname Grosse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grosse
The surname "Grosse" is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, sometime around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the German word "gross," which means "large" or "great." It was likely originally used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who was particularly tall or of large stature.
In its earliest forms, the name may have been spelled slightly differently, such as "Gros" or "Grosz," due to regional variations and spelling conventions of the time. The name is also closely related to the French surname "Legros," which has a similar meaning and origin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Grosse" can be found in a document from the city of Cologne, Germany, dated around 1300. This document mentions a man named "Johann Grosse," who was a merchant and landowner in the area.
As the name spread throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, it became associated with various place names and locations. For example, there is a town called Grossenhain in Saxony, Germany, which may have contributed to the name's popularity in that region.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname "Grosse." One of the earliest was Johann Grosse, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 15th century (c. 1420-1492). He was known for his writings on logic and philosophy and served as a professor at the University of Cologne.
Another prominent individual was Julius Grosse, a German painter and printmaker who lived in the 19th century (1828-1902). He was known for his landscapes and city scenes, and his works can be found in many museums throughout Europe.
In the field of literature, Gertrud Grosse was a notable German poet and writer who lived in the early 20th century (1879-1942). She published several collections of poetry and was known for her lyrical style and themes of nature and emotion.
One of the most famous historical figures with the surname "Grosse" was Alfred Grosse, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1856 to 1942. He was instrumental in the development of modern city planning principles and designed several notable buildings and urban projects in Germany and other parts of Europe.
Finally, in the realm of science, Karl Grosse was a German physicist and inventor who lived from 1864 to 1935. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the radio and wireless communication technologies, and he held several patents related to radio and electrical engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grosse
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grosse 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 Grosse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,791
- Two or more races4.0% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 56
- Black or African American1.3% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grosse
Grosse 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
#14,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,124
-35 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,129 places
2020
#14,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,965
-159 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,019 | 2,159 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,148 | 2,124 | 0.72 | -35 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 1,129 places |
| 2020 | #14,572 | 1,965 | 0.66 | -159 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 424 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 Grosse 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 | #14,148 | #14,572 | -3.0% |
| Count | 2,124 | 1,965 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.66 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grosse bearers went from 2,124 to 1,965 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 424 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,148 to #14,572.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grosse
FAQ
Grosse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grosse?
Name Census estimates that about 2,253 living Americans carry the surname Grosse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,132 residents.
How common is Grosse?
Grosse ranks #14,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,965 people with the surname Grosse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Grosse.
Has Grosse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grosse went from 2,124 recorded bearers to 1,965. That is a decrease of 159 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,148 to #14,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Grosse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grosse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Grosse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grosse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Grosse (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 Grosse mean?
A descriptive surname referring to a person of large physical stature or great influence and importance. 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 Grosse (0.66 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 are called Grosse?
If you just want to know how common the surname Grosse is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.