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

Greathouse, 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 Greathouse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Greathouse in America

Greathouse is the 4324th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Greathouse surname appeared 8,217 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Greathouse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Greathouse 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 Greathouse

The surname Greathouse is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "great" and "hus," which together mean "great house" or "large dwelling." This surname likely referred to someone who either lived in a particularly large or prominent house or was employed in such a residence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Greathouse can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Gretehus," an early spelling variation.

During the 13th century, the name Greathouse was associated with several prominent figures in English history. Sir John Greathouse (c. 1220-1289) was a knight and landowner from Worcestershire. Records indicate he participated in the Seventh Crusade and fought alongside Prince Edward, later King Edward I.

In the 14th century, the Greathouse name was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Thomas Greathouse (c. 1340-1412) was a prosperous merchant from York who served as an alderman and mayor of the city.

As the centuries passed, the Greathouse surname spread to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. Notable individuals with this surname include:

1. William Greathouse (1687-1756), an early settler in Pennsylvania who established the town of Greathouse Mills.
2. Elizabeth Greathouse (1730-1812), a pioneer and frontierwoman who was captured by Native Americans during the French and Indian War.
3. Henry Greathouse (1786-1864), a prominent lawyer and judge in Kentucky who served as a member of the state legislature.
4. Lucien Greathouse (1857-1922), an American painter known for his landscape works depicting the American West.
5. Bertrand Greathouse (1903-1976), a British author and playwright who wrote several popular mystery novels in the mid-20th century.

The name Greathouse continues to be found in various English-speaking countries, with variations in spelling such as Greathous and Greathowse also occurring throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Greathouse

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

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 Greathouse 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 Greathouse 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 Greathouse was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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