Groh
A German surname usually linked to a word for “big” or, in some interpretations, “coarse” or “clumsy.”
The #8,475 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,288 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally traced to German groh, a form related to words meaning “coarse” or “rough.” Some 19th-century writers thought the name may originally have been a nickname for a person of large build, with the sense later shifting from physical size to character or appearance. The evidence is not fully settled, so the safest reading is that it began as a descriptive byname.
History
Groh is found in German-speaking areas and also appears in older Anglo-German surname references. It is a short, strongly Germanic-looking name, and in the United States it most likely reflects immigration from German-speaking Europe. The surname has remained relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same old root behind Groh was also compared with English surnames like Gross and even with words that once meant “plump” in an older, broader sense.
From the historical record
“Grew. Fr. Grieu, Grout; D.B. Greue; JV. Gro; S., D. Groh ; p.n. Grex. G. Krex ; p.n. See Gregg Grey. See Gray Gribble. A loc. n., Devon”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (1st ed.)