Find out how popular the last name Greatens is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Greatens.

Greatens, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Greatens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Greatens in America

Greatens is the 135593rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Greatens surname appeared 124 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Greatens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Greatens to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Greatens

The surname Greatens is an English surname that originated in the early 14th century. It is derived from the Old English words "great" and "enne," which together mean "great meadow" or "large pasture." This suggests that the name may have been originally used to describe someone who lived near or owned a large meadow or pasture.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Greatens is listed. This indicates that the name was already established in the West Midlands region of England by this time.

In the 15th century, the surname is found in various records from the county of Shropshire, including the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524, which mention a Thomas Greatens from the town of Bridgnorth. This town's name was originally derived from the Old English words "brycg" and "cnorr," meaning "bridge" and "hill," indicating that the Greatens family may have lived near a bridge on a hill.

One notable figure with the surname Greatens was Sir William Greatens (1495-1567), a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry class in Staffordshire. He is recorded as having served as a Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1545.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records from the counties of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. A baptismal record from 1632 in the parish of Newent, Gloucestershire, mentions a John Greatens, son of Richard and Elizabeth Greatens.

Another individual of note was Richard Greatens (1625-1693), a prominent clergyman and author who served as the rector of Staunton-upon-Wye in Herefordshire. He is best known for his work "A Treatise on the Law of Nature and Nations," published in 1689.

The surname Greatens also has connections to the county of Worcestershire, with records from the late 17th century listing individuals such as Edward Greatens (1655-1712), a farmer from the village of Claines, and Mary Greatens (1670-1743), who was born in the town of Droitwich.

Throughout its history, the surname Greatens has maintained a strong presence in the West Midlands region of England, particularly in the counties of Shropshire, Staffordshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. While not a particularly common surname, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval era and has been borne by several notable individuals over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Greatens

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Greatens.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Greatens was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Greatens has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Greatens was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Greatens, please contact us.

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