Grimmett
A surname usually taken as a diminutive of the old name Grim, with the ending suggesting “little Grim” or “son of Grim” in form.
The #8,464 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,105 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Grimmett is generally explained as a pet or diminutive form built from the old personal name Grim, a short name found in medieval England and influenced by Old Norse and Old English naming. The final -ett looks like a diminutive or affectionate ending that later became part of the surname. In some older works it is treated alongside similar forms such as Grummett, showing the usual medieval instability of vowels and endings in surname spelling.
History
The name appears in English records and is especially noted by early surname scholars as a variant in Lincolnshire and surrounding areas. Like many short medieval nicknames, it seems to have become hereditary by the late medieval or early modern period. Variant spellings such as Grummett reflect regional pronunciation and older spelling fluctuation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname writers specifically remarked that Grimmett and Grummett were found side by side in Lincolnshire records.
From the historical record
“Grymhokle: St. Dionia Backchorcb, p. 3. 1771. — > Georgne Grimmett and Mary Reeve : St. Geo. Han. Sq. i. 211. — — John Page Ciaydea and Ann Grinunett: ibid. p. 214.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)