Given name & surname
Grimm
“one who is fierce; dark”
Grimm is used as a given name and a surname. One Anglo-Saxon interpretation is “one who is fierce; dark.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Anglo-Saxon interpretation is “one who is fierce; dark.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Anglo-Saxon.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2012. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Grimm through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 105
- 105 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 13 babies
- 2025
- 11
- #7,346 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +59%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,346 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 13 in 2019. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 106 as a first name in 2020; 21,420 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Grimm’s family of names
In English usage, Grimm as a surname has a nickname in GRIMMY. Grimm has a related form in Grimme. Grimm has a related form in Grymm.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Grimm has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Old English roots to each of them.
10 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Grimm, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ro
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76% boys · 24% girls
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“from the broadly spread oak”
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“an intelligent wolf”
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Ar
“a merciful woman”
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Roper
“one who makes rope”
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Isen
“of iron”
>99% boys