Groth
A surname from a German word for “big” or “great,” often used as a descriptive nickname.
The #5,410 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 47,987 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Groth is tied to German and Low German forms meaning “big” or “large,” related to older words such as Middle High German and Old Saxon forms of the same root. In this surname family, the original sense was likely a descriptive nickname for a tall, large, or important person. The form is especially at home in northern German and Low German naming tradition, where similar surnames appear as Grothe, Große, and de Groote.
History
The surname belongs to a wider German cluster of names built on the adjective “great/big,” and it is especially associated with northern German usage. Historical surname collections also note related forms such as Groth, Grothe, and de Groote, showing how the name traveled through dialect spelling differences. In the United States, Groth is established but not especially common, likely reflecting immigration from German-speaking regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same name-family produced many compounds and pet forms, including northern German forms like Grotrian, which means roughly “big Johannes.”
From the historical record
“Grouther Grougar Groth Grau Graw Graddie Guire Gubbon”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom