NameCensus.

UK surname

Grimm

A German occupational surname referring to a fierce or intimidating person, often a mask-wearer or performer.

In the 1881 census there were 68 people recorded with the Grimm surname, ranking it #23,950 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 145, ranked #24,293, down from #23,950 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, St George in the East and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include New Forest, Greenend and Carnbroe and Fetteresso, Netherley and Catter.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Grimm is 145 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 113.2%.

1881 census count

68

Ranked #23,950

Modern count

145

2016, ranked #24,293

Peak year

2016

145 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Grimm had 68 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,950 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016, ranked #24,293.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 105 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Grimm surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Grimm surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Grimm 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 15 #30,614
1861 historical 12 #32,329
1881 historical 68 #23,950
1891 historical 91 #25,239
1901 historical 73 #26,069
1911 historical 105 #22,064
1997 modern 124 #23,669
1998 modern 125 #24,198
1999 modern 128 #24,017
2000 modern 124 #24,469
2001 modern 114 #25,344
2002 modern 123 #24,735
2003 modern 118 #25,146
2004 modern 117 #25,448
2005 modern 112 #26,114
2006 modern 112 #26,415
2007 modern 121 #25,469
2008 modern 126 #25,131
2009 modern 125 #25,823
2010 modern 127 #26,176
2011 modern 128 #25,793
2012 modern 134 #25,059
2013 modern 139 #24,912
2014 modern 143 #24,621
2015 modern 142 #24,617
2016 modern 145 #24,293

Geography

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Where Grimms are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, St George in the East, London parishes and St Philip and Jacob. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to New Forest, Greenend and Carnbroe, Fetteresso, Netherley and Catter, Saline and Gowkhall and Hammersmith and Fulham. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 St George in the East London (East Districts)
3 London parishes London 1
4 London parishes London 3
5 St Philip and Jacob Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 New Forest 011 New Forest
2 Greenend and Carnbroe North Lanarkshire
3 Fetteresso, Netherley and Catter Aberdeenshire
4 Saline and Gowkhall Fife
5 Hammersmith and Fulham 017 Hammersmith and Fulham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Grimm

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Grimm

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Grimm, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Grimm surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Grimm household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Grimm 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

Grimm 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

Grimm falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Grimm is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

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

Meaning and origin of Grimm

The surname GRIMM originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "grimmi," which means "fierce" or "grim." The name was likely given to someone with a stern or severe demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GRIMM surname appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the former Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name is also found in various medieval manuscripts and records from across Germany.

In the 14th century, variations of the GRIMM surname emerged, such as Grym, Grymme, and Grim. These spelling variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.

The GRIMM surname has been associated with several notable historical figures. One of the most famous was Jacob Grimm (1785-1863) and his brother Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859), renowned German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors of the iconic Grimms' Fairy Tales collection.

Another notable bearer of the GRIMM name was Hans Grimm (1875-1959), a German writer and journalist known for his novels depicting rural life in Lower Saxony. His works, such as "Volk ohne Raum" (People Without Space), gained popularity during the early 20th century.

Friedrich Melchior Grimm (1723-1807) was a German writer and diplomat who served as a personal secretary to the Duke of Orléans and later became a prominent figure in the French Enlightenment intellectual circles.

In the realm of science, Johann Friedrich Karl Grimm (1737-1821) was a German botanist and taxonomist who made significant contributions to the classification of plant species.

The GRIMM surname has also been associated with various place names across Germany, such as Grimmstadt, Grimmelshausen, and Grimmertshausen, reflecting the widespread presence of the name throughout the country's history.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Grimm families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Grimm 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. Middlesex leads with 34 Grimms recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.05x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 34 5.05x
Dumfriesshire 7 47.07x
Essex 7 5.27x
Gloucestershire 4 3.03x
Lancashire 3 0.38x
Surrey 3 0.91x
Midlothian 2 2.22x
Norfolk 2 1.93x
Nottinghamshire 2 2.20x
Angus 1 1.60x
Berkshire 1 1.98x
Cornwall 1 1.31x
Hampshire 1 0.72x
Kent 1 0.44x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St George In East London in Middlesex leads with 11 Grimms recorded in 1881 and an index of 173.78x.

Place Total Index
St George In East London 11 173.78x
Hackney London 9 23.85x
Dumfries 7 476.19x
West Ham 7 23.87x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 4 32.18x
Islington London 4 6.13x
St Luke London 4 37.04x
Limehouse London 3 40.60x
Liverpool 2 4.12x
Nottingham St Peter 2 198.02x
Paddington London 2 8.08x
Wandsworth 2 30.86x
Bisham 1 625.00x
Blakeney 1 526.32x
Brechin 1 40.82x
Deptford St Paul 1 5.65x
Eccleston In Prescot 1 24.94x
Edinburgh St Marys 1 57.14x
Great Yarmouth 1 11.67x
Holdenhurst 1 27.62x
Lasswade 1 48.54x
Madron Penzance 1 36.10x
Westminster St James 1 14.45x
Woking 1 50.51x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Emma 4
Annie 2
Caroline 2
Eliza 2
Hannah 2
Mary 2
Ada 1
Ameilia 1
Aminta 1
Anne 1
Apolonia 1
Catherine 1
Clara 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Emilie 1
Emily 1
Jane 1
Julia 1
Marian 1
Matilda 1
Pauline 1
Phillis 1
Rebecca 1
Rosa 1
Sophia 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Edward 2
Geo. 2
George 2
James 2
Ada 1
C.H. 1
Charles 1
Dan 1
Frances 1
Henry 1
Herbert 1
John 1
Jos. 1
Louis 1
Paul 1
Richard 1
Thomas 1
Thos. 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Grimm households.

FAQ

Grimm surname: questions and answers

How common was the Grimm surname in 1881?

In 1881, 68 people were recorded with the Grimm surname. That placed it at #23,950 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Grimm surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 145 in 2016. That gives Grimm a modern rank of #24,293.

What does the Grimm surname mean?

A German occupational surname referring to a fierce or intimidating person, often a mask-wearer or performer.

What does the Grimm map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Grimm 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.