Greene
A gender-neutral name derived from the English word for the color green.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Greene. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Greene today is around 89 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Greene births was 1919 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Greene. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Greene is about 89 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Greenes were born before 1947.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Greene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1919
9 babies that year
Average age
89
years old
1948 SSA rank
#3,881
Tracked since 1882
Census
Greene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 134 people with the first name Greene, which placed it at #48,062 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#48,062
National first-name rank
People counted
134
134 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
50.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Greene is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Greene described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Greene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.7% · 68
- Black or African American36.6% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.0% · 4
- Two or more races0.7% · 1
Popularity
Greene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Greene from the 1880s through to the 1940s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 58 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Greene by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Greene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Greene
The name Greene is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "grene," meaning "green." This name is closely related to the color green and is often associated with nature, growth, and fertility.
The earliest recorded use of the name Greene dates back to the 12th century, when it was used as a surname for people who lived near a green or grassy area. Over time, the name transitioned from a surname to a given name, reflecting the growing popularity of nature-inspired names.
In literature, one of the earliest mentions of the name Greene can be found in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," written in the late 14th century. In this work, Chaucer introduces a character named Greene, highlighting the name's association with the English countryside.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Greene. One of the most renowned is the English playwright and poet Robert Greene (1558-1592), who was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and contributed significantly to the development of English Renaissance drama.
Another prominent figure is Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Greene played a crucial role in several battles, including the Southern Campaign, and is celebrated for his strategic military leadership.
In the 19th century, Graham Greene (1904-1991), the acclaimed English novelist and author, gained worldwide recognition for his literary works, including "The Power and the Glory," "The Quiet American," and "The End of the Affair."
Additionally, Al Green (born 1946), the American singer-songwriter and record producer, is widely regarded as one of the most influential soul artists of all time. His smooth vocals and emotionally charged performances have earned him numerous accolades, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Lorne Greene (1915-1987), a Canadian actor, is best known for his portrayal of the patriarch Ben Cartwright in the popular Western television series "Bonanza," which aired from 1959 to 1973.
The name Greene has a rich history, spanning centuries and cultures, and has been borne by a diverse array of individuals, from writers and military leaders to musicians and actors. Its connection to nature and the color green continues to resonate, making it a timeless and evocative choice for a given name.
People
Greene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Greene as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Greene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Greene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Greene going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Greene a common name?
We classify Greene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 121 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Greene most popular?
The single biggest year for Greene was 1919, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Greene is about 89 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Greene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 134 people with the name Greene, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,062 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Greene in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Greene?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Greene on both sides of the split. Of the 132 people counted with this name, 93 were male (70.5%) and 39 were female (29.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Greene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Greene is White at 50.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Greene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Greene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.7% (68 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Greene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Greene a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Greene in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Greene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Greene in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Greene can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Greene?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.