2000
#4,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,740
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.87
Rare Last name
Greathouse
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived in a large or impressive house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,894 Americans carry the last name Greathouse. That puts it at #4,433 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,538 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greathouse surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,538
Census rank
#4,433
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,756 bearers of the surname Greathouse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4433rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greathouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greathouse
Among Census respondents with the surname Greathouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Greathouse bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Greathouse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.6% · 6,019
- Black or African American12.8% · 992
- Two or more races5.6% · 431
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 238
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greathouse
Greathouse appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,217
+477 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 2.79
Rank movement Down 85 places
2020
#4,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,756
-461 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,239 | 7,740 | 2.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,324 | 8,217 | 2.79 | +477 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 85 places |
| 2020 | #4,433 | 7,756 | 2.59 | -461 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 109 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Greathouse surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,324 | #4,433 | -2.5% |
| Count | 8,217 | 7,756 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.79 | 2.59 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greathouse bearers went from 8,217 to 7,756 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,324 to #4,433.
FAQ
Greathouse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greathouse?
Name Census estimates that about 8,894 living Americans carry the surname Greathouse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,538 residents.
How common is Greathouse?
Greathouse ranks #4,433 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,756 people with the surname Greathouse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,894), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Greathouse.
Has Greathouse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greathouse went from 8,217 recorded bearers to 7,756. That is a decrease of 461 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,324 to #4,433.
What does the Census say about the background of Greathouse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greathouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Greathouse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.6% (6,019 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greathouse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.6%), Black (12.8%), Two or More Races (5.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Greathouse (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Greathouse mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived in a large or impressive house. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Greathouse (2.59 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Greathouse?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Greathouse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.