The Grimsley surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,848 people carried this name — #5,901 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 50,500 people counted. That is up 3% from 5,678 in 2000.

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In print

Grimsley in American newspapers,
1909–1920.

Newspaper page from The Daily Gate City carrying the name Grimsley
The Daily Gate City 1910-05-09
Newspaper page from The Daily Gate City carrying the name Grimsley
The Daily Gate City 1909-09-01
Newspaper page from Chariton Courier carrying the name Grimsley
Chariton Courier 1920-05-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 8,974 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Grimsley in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

883 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Grimsley. The most, 219, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 3.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 579
Victoria 131
ACT (Canberra) 92
Queensland 35
Western Australia 28
Tasmania 8
South Australia 4
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Grimsley.

Who carried it

People named Grimsley,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Gertrude I. Grimsley Scott 1903–1955 · teacher
  • Ross Grimsley 1922–1994 · baseball player
  • Jack Grimsley 1925–2015 · composer
  • John Grimsley 1962–2008 · gridiron football player
  • Ed Grimsley 1963–2025 · American football player

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Grimsley,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States274 records

274 records of the Grimsley name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 172
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 71
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 11
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 6
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 5
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Lee Eldridge Grimsley

    Born 1944; from Abbeville, Alabama. U.S. Army, parachutist; killed in action 1971 in Kontum, South Vietnam. Buried at Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John L. Grimsley

    Born 1921 in Mississippi. Enlisted 1944 at Camp Shelby; auto mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Cedar Bluff Cumberland Cemetery, Cedarbluff, Mississippi.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Grimsley

    Arrived at New York in 1858 aboard the Webster from Liverpool, aged 38; laborer. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 274 records for Grimsley in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia35 records

35 records of the Grimsley name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 22
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 10
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt E. Grimsley

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Sobraon, aged 19; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Grimsley

    Gentleman of Forest Hill, Victoria; died 1973.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Edwin Victor Arthur Grimsley

    Died 1927 in Grove, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 35 records for Grimsley in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada4 records

4 records of the Grimsley name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Edward Grimsley

    Died 1946; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Jessie Grimsley

    Died 1954; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Robert Grimsley

    Died in service in 1991.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 4 records for Grimsley in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom4 records

4 records of the Grimsley name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 3
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record James Reeves Grimsley

    Will proved in 1931; of Snaresbrook, Essex.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. T. Grimsley

    Royal Army Medical Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. Grimsley

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Grimsley in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Grimsley name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Francis Ernest Grimsley

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Grimsley.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Grimsley is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Grimsley volume
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