Grimm
A surname from an old nickname meaning stern, fierce, or grim-looking.
The #1,630 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,968 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Grimm is generally traced to an old Germanic nickname based on words meaning "stern," "fierce," or "grim." Related forms appear in Old Norse, Old High German, and Old English, where the sense is roughly "severe" or "fearsome." The surname was likely first applied to someone with a hard expression or a strict temperament.
History
The name is well known in German-speaking countries, especially through the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, whose surname helped make it famous far beyond its original region. English and Scottish surname writers also connected it with the older nickname Grim and related forms such as Graeme, Graham, and Grimes, though those names do not all have exactly the same history. In some cases it may overlap with place-name or patronymic developments, but the core idea is a descriptive byname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Jacob Grimm is remembered not only for fairy tales, but also for pioneering work in Germanic linguistics and folklore.
From the historical record
“GRILLARD. See HAZARD. GRIMM. See GRAMMAR. GRINDALL. A chapelry in Yorkshire. GROOM. See CRUMB. GROUSE. There was an 0. G. Grauso, of the sixth century, which Forstemann refers to A. S. greosan, horrere ; but this name is the same with Grose, Gross, implying great, big in stature ; from Fr. gros, L. crassus.…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames