Grimes
A surname usually meaning "son of Grim," from an old nickname or given name meaning stern or fierce.
The #686 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,145 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Grimes is generally explained as a patronymic from the medieval personal name Grim, with the final -s marking "son of" or possession, as in "Grim's son." The name Grim itself is widely taken from Old Norse grimmr or a related Germanic word meaning stern, fierce, or grim, and it also appears in Old English and medieval naming. In other words, the surname originally meant something like "descendant of Grim."
History
The name Grim was common enough in medieval England to generate surnames and place-names such as Grimston and Grimstead. 19th-century surname writers also note spellings such as Crimes and Chrimes, treating them as variants or corruptions of Grimes. The surname is especially well attested in English records, though it later spread more widely, including to the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname books link Grimes to several English place-names built from the same old personal name, especially Grimston and Grimsby.
From the historical record
“Chrimes. — Bapt. ' the son of Grim,' v. Grimes, of which I doubt not it is a corruption. G and C constantly change places in English Gamel and Cammel, Gandelyn and Candlin, Sec. Chrimes is”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances