I noticed grotesques come in similar forms. Do they each have their own meaning or origin?

Question

I collect grotesques and have many that are very similar. I am assuming that there are some artists that made the originals somewhere and everyone else is copying them. I would like to know if my particular grotesque has a more definite meaning or origin.

Answer 1

I believe that most of them are romanticized or stylized after the gargoyles on cathedrals.