2000
#1,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,811
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.60
Uncommon Last name
Grossman
An occupational surname referring to a wholesale merchant or someone who works with large quantities of goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,656 Americans carry the last name Grossman. That puts it at #2,172 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grossman 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 Grossman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,372
Census rank
#2,172
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,269 bearers of the surname Grossman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2172nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grossman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grossman
The surname Grossman is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "gross," which means "large" or "great," and "mann," meaning "man." The name likely referred to a person of large stature or someone with an imposing presence.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Grossman can be found in various German historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. Some of the earliest examples include mentions in the Liber Census Saxoniae, a tax record of Saxony from the late 13th century, and the Codex Diplomatus Brandenburgensis, a collection of documents related to the history of Brandenburg from the 14th century.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Grossman was Johannes Grossman, a German theologian and reformer who lived in the 15th century (c. 1420-1489). He was a proponent of the Hussite movement and played a role in the religious conflicts of his time.
Another prominent individual was Wilhelm Grossman (1676-1749), a German architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in Dresden, including the Zwinger Palace and the Frauenkirche.
In the 19th century, Carl Friedrich Grossman (1786-1853) was a German economist and statistician who made significant contributions to the development of statistical methods and their application to economic analysis.
The name Grossman also has a presence in literature, with the German writer David Grossman (1954-) being one of the most prominent contemporary figures. He is known for his novels and essays exploring themes of Israeli society and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the realm of science, the name Grossman is associated with Robert Grossman (1922-1997), an American physicist and mathematician who made important contributions to the fields of general relativity and gravitational radiation.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Grossman throughout history, spanning various fields and time periods. The name's origins and its prevalence in German-speaking regions have contributed to its enduring presence and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grossman
Among Census respondents with the surname Grossman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Grossman 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 Grossman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 15,100
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 529
- Two or more races2.3% · 367
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 166
- Black or African American0.5% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grossman
Grossman 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
#2,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,484
-327 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 5.93
Rank movement Down 213 places
2020
#2,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,269
-1,215 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 5.44
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,854 | 17,811 | 6.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,067 | 17,484 | 5.93 | -327 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 213 places |
| 2020 | #2,172 | 16,269 | 5.44 | -1,215 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 105 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 Grossman 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 | #2,067 | #2,172 | -5.1% |
| Count | 17,484 | 16,269 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.93 | 5.44 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grossman bearers went from 17,484 to 16,269 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,067 to #2,172.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grossman
FAQ
Grossman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grossman?
Name Census estimates that about 18,656 living Americans carry the surname Grossman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,372 residents.
How common is Grossman?
Grossman ranks #2,172 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.44 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 16,269 people with the surname Grossman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,656), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.44 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 Grossman.
Has Grossman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grossman went from 17,484 recorded bearers to 16,269. That is a decrease of 1,215 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,067 to #2,172.
What does the Census say about the background of Grossman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grossman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Grossman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (15,100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grossman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Grossman (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 Grossman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a wholesale merchant or someone who works with large quantities of goods. 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 Grossman (5.44 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 Americans have the surname Grossman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.