Show ContentsGrothe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The German surname Grothe emerged in the lands that formed the powerful German state of Prussia, which at one time was an immense German territory that stretched from France and the Low Countries to the Baltic sea and Poland. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the German territories were inhabited by a variety of Barbarian tribes. The borders of the Barbarian kingdoms changed frequently, but the region that became known as Prussia was roughly divided between the areas of Brandenburg-Prussia, West Prussia, and East Prussia. Brandenburg-Prussia was essentially the birthplace of modern Germany. By the 19th century, Brandenburg-Prussia had incorporated East Prussia, West Prussia and many other German territories. Moreover, in the late 19th century, it led the German states in the unification of Germany.

Early Origins of the Grothe family

The surname Grothe was first found in Prussia, where this family became a prominent contributor to the development of the area from ancient times.

Early History of the Grothe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grothe research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1775, 1800, 1843, 1883 and 1899 are included under the topic Early Grothe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grothe Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Grothe include Grothe, Groth, Grot, Groat, Groete, Groethe, Groet, Groter and many more.

Early Notables of the Grothe family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Grothe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grothe Ranking

In the United States, the name Grothe is the 16,914th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Grothe migration to the United States +

Prussia played an extremely influential role in shaping modern German history. It remained a part of Germany until after the Second World War. Prussia was divided among the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany and West Germany. Many Prussians became residents of these new countries after the War, and many migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly to Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Grothe were

Grothe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Carl Herm Grothe, who arrived in America in 1846 2
  • Heinrich Grothe, aged 35, who landed in Missouri in 1849 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Grothe (post 1700) +

  • Douglas James "D. J." Grothe (b. 1973), American writer and public speaker
  • Matt Grothe (b. 1986), American professional quarterback
  • Georg Grothe (1822-1876), Danish composer
  • Eric Raymond Grothe Jr (b. 1980), Australian retired professional rugby league footballer
  • Eric "Guru" Grothe Sr (b. 1960), Australian former rugby league footballer


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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