NameCensus.

UK surname

Grimes

Derived from a place name or from the Old English word "grima," meaning a mask or helmet.

In the 1881 census there were 3,452 people recorded with the Grimes surname, ranking it #1,322 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,028, ranked #1,118, up from #1,322 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Knowsley and Halton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grimes is 6,220 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 74.6%.

1881 census count

3,452

Ranked #1,322

Modern count

6,028

2016, ranked #1,118

Peak year

2010

6,220 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Grimes had 3,452 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,322 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,028 in 2016, ranked #1,118.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,551 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Grimes surname distribution map

The map shows where the Grimes surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Grimes surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grimes over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2,080 #1,397
1861 historical 1,986 #1,465
1881 historical 3,452 #1,322
1891 historical 3,542 #1,352
1901 historical 4,351 #1,302
1911 historical 4,551 #1,132
1997 modern 5,973 #1,097
1998 modern 6,166 #1,099
1999 modern 6,192 #1,106
2000 modern 6,140 #1,110
2001 modern 5,948 #1,117
2002 modern 6,085 #1,120
2003 modern 5,905 #1,124
2004 modern 5,822 #1,140
2005 modern 5,724 #1,138
2006 modern 5,804 #1,125
2007 modern 5,829 #1,131
2008 modern 5,924 #1,120
2009 modern 6,091 #1,118
2010 modern 6,220 #1,117
2011 modern 6,096 #1,121
2012 modern 5,921 #1,127
2013 modern 6,017 #1,127
2014 modern 6,100 #1,121
2015 modern 6,048 #1,122
2016 modern 6,028 #1,118

Geography

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Where Grimes' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Manchester and North Nibley, Wotton-under-Edge. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Knowsley, Halton, North Norfolk and Oldham. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 North Nibley, Wotton-under-Edge Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 012 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 Knowsley 003 Knowsley
3 Halton 007 Halton
4 North Norfolk 010 North Norfolk
5 Oldham 030 Oldham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grimes

These lists show first names that appear often with the Grimes surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grimes

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Grimes, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Grimes surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Grimes household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Grimes is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Grimes is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Grimes falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Grimes is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Grimes, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Grimes

The surname Grimes originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It derives from the Old French word "grime," meaning a mask or a dark, soiled appearance. The name likely referred to someone with a swarthy complexion or perhaps a profession that involved working with soot or dirt.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grimes appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where a Richard Gryme is mentioned. The surname is also found in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, which reference a William Gryme.

The Grimes surname has several spelling variations, including Grime, Grym, and Grimshawe. These variations can be found in historical documents from different regions of England. For example, the spelling "Grimshawe" was more common in Lancashire, possibly derived from a place name.

In the late 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Thomas Grimes, an English dramatist and pamphleteer who was born around 1570. He is best known for his plays "The Modell of a New Fayre" and "The Punycke Warre."

Another prominent figure was Sir Edward Grimes (1561-1627), an English naval commander and explorer who led expeditions to the West Indies and South America. He was knighted in 1618 for his services to the Crown.

During the English Civil War, John Grimes (1604-1678) was a prominent Puritan clergyman and member of the Westminster Assembly, which helped shape the doctrine and government of the Church of England.

In the 18th century, Samuel Grimes (1744-1811) was a British naval officer who played a crucial role in the Battle of Camperdown during the French Revolutionary Wars.

One of the most notable bearers of the Grimes surname was Sir Bryan Grimes (1828-1905), a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honor in the British Empire, for his bravery during the siege of Delhi.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Grimes families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grimes surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 730 Grimes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.82x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 730 1.82x
Norfolk 424 8.17x
Middlesex 369 1.09x
Gloucestershire 212 3.20x
Surrey 188 1.14x
Warwickshire 158 1.86x
Yorkshire 146 0.44x
Hampshire 140 2.02x
Leicestershire 121 3.23x
Cheshire 102 1.37x
Staffordshire 97 0.85x
Durham 79 0.79x
Kent 78 0.68x
Hertfordshire 72 3.10x
Essex 63 0.95x
Somerset 52 0.96x
Suffolk 52 1.27x
Lincolnshire 47 0.87x
Sussex 37 0.65x
Devon 31 0.44x
Derbyshire 25 0.47x
Berkshire 23 0.91x
Worcestershire 23 0.52x
Angus 15 0.48x
Dorset 14 0.63x
Buckinghamshire 13 0.64x
Flintshire 13 1.43x
Glamorgan 13 0.22x
Lanarkshire 12 0.11x
Nottinghamshire 12 0.26x
Shropshire 11 0.38x
Monmouthshire 10 0.41x
Northumberland 10 0.20x
Bedfordshire 9 0.52x
Wiltshire 9 0.30x
Oxfordshire 7 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 6 0.28x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.56x
Northamptonshire 5 0.16x
Channel Islands 4 0.40x
Cornwall 4 0.10x
Westmorland 4 0.54x
Argyllshire 2 0.21x
Cumberland 2 0.07x
Midlothian 2 0.04x
Royal Navy 2 0.50x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.07x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.07x
Denbighshire 1 0.08x
Perthshire 1 0.07x
Renfrewshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Manchester in Lancashire leads with 89 Grimes' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.94x.

Place Total Index
Manchester 89 4.94x
Liverpool 88 3.62x
Lambeth 42 1.43x
Worstead 39 438.70x
Islington London 37 1.13x
Leicester St Margaret 37 4.06x
Portsea 34 2.51x
Wotton Under Edge 33 84.62x
Birmingham 31 1.09x
Everton 31 2.43x
St Pancras London 30 1.10x
Wigan 29 5.18x
Horning 28 557.77x
Nuneaton 28 28.40x
Toxteth Park 28 2.07x
Newington 27 2.17x
Aston 25 1.07x
Heaton Norris 24 10.53x
Kensington London 24 1.28x
Bootle Cum Linacre 22 6.92x
Garston 22 18.62x
Stafford St Mary 21 13.02x
Worsley 21 8.51x
Deptford St Paul 19 2.14x
Great Yarmouth 19 4.42x
Kirkdale 19 2.82x
Salford 19 1.61x
Ashton Under Lyne 18 2.06x
Eccleston In Prescot 18 8.95x
Heigham 18 6.46x
Brightside Bierlow 17 2.59x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 17 2.73x
Chelsea London 17 1.67x
Shoreditch London 17 1.16x
Stalham 17 171.37x
Streatham 17 6.79x
Chilvers Coton 16 45.71x
Ratby 16 85.33x
St Marylebone London 16 0.89x
Cheltenham 15 2.94x
Hinckley 15 16.90x
Birtley 14 34.17x
Hindley 14 8.20x
Mile End Old Town London 14 1.95x
Neatishead 14 209.58x
Parr 14 9.77x
Battersea 13 1.05x
Birkenhead 13 2.19x
Burton Upon Trent 13 4.88x
Gayton 13 148.57x
Leicester St Mary 13 4.30x
Liff Benvie 13 2.74x
Paddington London 13 1.05x
Stockport 13 3.39x
Stoke Newington London 13 4.95x
West Ham 13 0.88x
Atherton 12 8.23x
Camberwell 12 0.56x
Cley Next Sea 12 144.06x
Hackney London 12 0.63x
Hitchin 12 11.43x
Hornsey 12 2.81x
Pendleton In Salford 12 2.52x
Richmond 12 5.21x
Ryde 12 8.08x
Spalding 12 11.21x
St George Hanover Square 12 2.02x
St Helens 12 23.87x
Stroud 12 9.32x
Warwick St Nicholas 12 19.23x
Welney 12 101.18x
Ardwick 11 3.05x
Bury 11 2.41x
Fulham London 11 2.25x
Handsworth 11 3.92x
Hinderwell 11 38.54x
Hulme 11 1.32x
Kings Norton 11 2.78x
Wandsworth 11 3.39x
Yardley 11 9.76x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Grimes surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 270
Elizabeth 136
Sarah 120
Ann 61
Emma 59
Alice 57
Eliza 52
Ellen 46
Annie 43
Margaret 42
Emily 39
Jane 38
Hannah 32
Catherine 29
Louisa 26
Charlotte 25
Maria 24
Martha 23
Fanny 22
Caroline 20
Florence 20
Ada 18
Edith 18
Harriet 18
Susan 16
Agnes 14
Bridget 13
Frances 12
Harriett 11
Kate 11
Matilda 11
Amelia 10
Anna 10
Anne 10
Gertrude 10
Clara 9
Elizth. 9
Lucy 9
Minnie 9
Esther 8
Isabella 8
Amy 7
Julia 7
Helen 6
Rachel 6
Sophia 6
Ethel 5
Lydia 5
Maud 5
Rose 5

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Grimes surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 218
William 209
James 126
Thomas 121
George 100
Charles 74
Henry 72
Joseph 52
Edward 50
Robert 49
Alfred 32
Richard 32
Samuel 27
Arthur 26
Albert 25
Michael 23
Frederick 20
Patrick 19
Walter 19
Ernest 17
Herbert 17
Harry 16
Peter 15
Francis 14
Frank 11
Matthew 10
Benjamin 9
Wm. 9
David 8
Edwin 8
Martin 8
Stephen 8
Daniel 7
Willm. 7
Chas. 5
Edmund 5
Fred 5
Fredk. 5
Isaac 5
Mark 5
Christopher 4
Geo. 4
Luke 4
Owen 4
Pat 4
Percy 4
Robt. 4
Tom 4
Jacob 3
Lawrence 3

FAQ

Grimes surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grimes surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,452 people were recorded with the Grimes surname. That placed it at #1,322 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grimes surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,028 in 2016. That gives Grimes a modern rank of #1,118.

What does the Grimes surname mean?

Derived from a place name or from the Old English word "grima," meaning a mask or helmet.

What does the Grimes map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Grimes bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.