Surname Gro - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'G'
Gro: What does the surname Gro mean?
The last name Gro is of German origin and is thought to be derived from the German word “grau” which means “gray” or “grey”. It has been suggested that the name may have been given to an individual with gray hair or as an occupational name for a dyer or tailoring/clothing business. The name can also be found in other countries such as the Netherlands, where it is believed to be of different origin.
In Australia, Gro can be an anglicized form of the Dutch name Groen, meaning “green” or “greenery”. In Scotland, Gro is a variant form of “Grieve” which means an official or an administrative person in a local area, and is derived from the Gaelic term “Griobhach”.
In the United States, the name first began to be used in the late 19th century and mainly by immigrants from Germany and the Netherlands. There, the name is generally thought to be derived from the occupational name “Grover”, meaning “contractor” or “mason”. It is possible that the family name Gro was also occasionally given as a nickname to someone who was particularly keen and adept at creating and imaginative or complex plans or designs.
The name is still relatively common today, both as a surname and as a first name in its own right. It can also be seen in the surnames of some public figures such as the famous scientist Albert Einstein, who had the surname Gross-Einstein. Indeed, the widespread and varied use of the name Gro is testament to a colorful past that spans centuries and cultures.
Order DNA origin analysisGro: Where does the name Gro come from?
The last name Gro is most commonly found today in the Netherlands, primarily in the Dutch province of North Holland. In 2017, the Gro name was the 78th most common surname in Netherlands, ranking behind other prominent Dutch surnames such as Jansen, De Jong, and De Vries.
In addition to the Netherlands, the name Gro is also common throughout a number of other countries with significant Dutch populations, such as Belgium, Suriname, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United States.
The name Gro itself has multiple etymological roots, skimming back through Old Dutch and Middle Dutch before eventually crossing over to Middle High German and Old High German. The Dutch surname “Gro” is thought to refer to a person’s stature, being derived from the Old Germanic word “gros” which translates to “tall” or “big”.
The Gro name is further thought to come from the Dutch verb “groeien”, meaning “to grow”, implying that those with the surname may have come from a long-standing bloodline or branch within a particular area.
The name’s popularity in the Netherlands has sustained for centuries, with the earliest record of families bearing the Gro surname residing in the province of Drenthe, Denmark, before eventually settling further south in North Holland.
Today, the Dutch province of North Holland continues to the be the region with the highest concentration of Gro, with Amsterdam, its capital city, containing the most Gro households in the entirety of the Netherlands.
Variations of the surname Gro
The surname Gro is one of the oldest European surnames of Germanic origin. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin of the Gro derive from different spellings and regional dialects in various languages spoken over the centuries.
One of the earliest forms of the Gro surname is Grae, with the Gra spelling the most commonly found spelling. Variations include Grau, Grae, Grah, Graw and Gray. In some variations of the language Grae may be spelled Graa or Gra.
In addition the surname Grö, Grø, Gröigh, Groe, Grooh, Groo and Groeig are all other variants of the Gro surname. All of these surnames can be traced to European Germanic languages, such as German, Danish and Dutch.
In addition the German spelling of Gro is Grosse, with Gross, Groß, Groos, Grooos and Groess being other variations. Other Germanic based spelling variations of the Gro surname include the Dutch Groen, Grone and Group.
The variants of the Gro surname can also be various hybrids, such as Grohmann, Groeneman, Groenenberg, Groenewald and Groenke. Finally, more modern variants of the surname include Groff, Grof and Groves.
Famous people with the name Gro
- Sherman Gro Wolff: German professional soccer player
- Eddie Groendyk: American football coach and former player
- Steffen Groth: German television host and actor
- John Groce: American college basketball coach
- David Groh: American actor
- Sophie Groser: Canadian-American women's soccer player
- Christoph Grote-Beverborg: German TV director and producer
- Steven Grogan: American football player
- Joe Grogan: British special advisor to the Prime Minister
- Adam Groh: British professional Dota 2 player