Gross surname meaning

Gross is chiefly a German and Ashkenazic Jewish nickname surname from Middle High German grōz or German groß, “large,” “tall,” or “corpulent.” It described a physically imposing person and later became hereditary. In Switzerland and some German regions the spelling with ss is preferred to ß, producing Gross rather than Groß. Gros, Grosse, and Grossman are related forms, while some English families may reflect Middle English gros from Old French. Nickname is the high-confidence catalog type. The surname explains a medieval descriptive byname, not a modern physical trait.