De Groot
A Dutch surname meaning “the great” or “the tall one,” originally used as a descriptive nickname.
The #6,278 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 56,734 Americans shares it.
Etymology
De Groot is a Dutch surname built from the definite article de, meaning “the,” and groot, meaning “big,” “great,” or “tall.” In origin, it was most likely a nickname for a large person or someone regarded as notable or important. The same root can also have had the sense of “the elder” or “the senior” in some family contexts.
History
This is one of the most common Dutch surnames and spread widely through Dutch-speaking regions. It also traveled to North America with Dutch immigrants, especially in the Netherlands, Belgium, and later the United States. Anglicized records often flattened the spacing or capitalization, producing forms like DeGroot.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Dutch surnames often preserved plain adjectives as family names, De Groot is a good example of a nickname that became a permanent hereditary surname.