2000
#6,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Greaves
An occupational surname referring to a maker of armor for the legs, derived from the Old English "grefa".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,744 Americans carry the last name Greaves. That puts it at #6,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,672 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greaves 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Greaves with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 59,672
Census rank
#6,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,009 bearers of the surname Greaves in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greaves, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greaves
The surname Greaves is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "grēfe," meaning a small wood or thicket. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near or in a small grove or wooded area.
In the late 11th century, the name appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror. This record mentions individuals with the surname Greaves, or variations such as Greve or Grieve, living in various parts of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1195, which mention a William de Grevis. The name was also spelled as Greyves, Grevys, or Grevys in various medieval records from different parts of England.
In the 13th century, the name Greaves was associated with the village of Greves in Lancashire, which was likely named after someone with the surname Greaves who lived there or owned land in the area.
One notable individual with the surname Greaves was Sir Ralph Greaves, a military leader who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. He was born around 1430 and was knighted for his service to King Edward IV.
Another famous bearer of the name was John Greaves, an English mathematician, antiquarian, and traveler, who lived from 1602 to 1652. He is known for his work on ancient weights and measures, as well as his travels to Egypt and the Middle East.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the surname Greaves was Thomas Greaves, an English clergyman and biblical scholar, who was born in 1612 and died in 1676. He is best known for his work on the translation of the Bible into Persian.
The surname Greaves was also associated with the Greaves family of Beeley, Derbyshire, who were landowners and influential in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable member was Sir John Greaves, born in 1602, who served as a Member of Parliament.
Another individual of note was John Greaves, an English engraver and illustrator, who lived from 1786 to 1853. He is renowned for his intricate illustrations of scientific subjects, particularly in the fields of botany and zoology.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greaves
Among Census respondents with the surname Greaves, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Greaves 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 Greaves surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.4% · 2,875
- Black or African American32.0% · 1,604
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 264
- Two or more races4.0% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greaves
Greaves 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
#6,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,217
+486 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Up 103 places
2020
#6,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,009
-208 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,608 | 4,731 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,505 | 5,217 | 1.77 | +486 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 103 places |
| 2020 | #6,512 | 5,009 | 1.68 | -208 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7 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 Greaves 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 | #6,505 | #6,512 | -0.1% |
| Count | 5,217 | 5,009 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.77 | 1.68 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greaves bearers went from 5,217 to 5,009 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,505 to #6,512.
FAQ
Greaves surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greaves?
Name Census estimates that about 5,744 living Americans carry the surname Greaves. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,672 residents.
How common is Greaves?
Greaves ranks #6,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,009 people with the surname Greaves. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,744), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Greaves.
Has Greaves become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greaves went from 5,217 recorded bearers to 5,009. That is a decrease of 208 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,505 to #6,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Greaves?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greaves, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Greaves in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.4% (2,875 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greaves appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.4%), Black (32.0%), Hispanic (5.3%). 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 Greaves (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 Greaves mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of armor for the legs, derived from the Old English "grefa". 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 Greaves (1.68 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 Greaves?
You can see how many people are called Greaves on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.