2000
#111,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Grecian
An ethnic surname stemming from Greece or origins within Greek culture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Grecian. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grecian 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Grecian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grecian, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grecian
The surname Grecian has its roots in the Greek civilization, originating from the ancient Greek word "Graikós," which referred to people of Greek descent or culture. This surname likely emerged during the Middle Ages when Greeks migrated to various parts of Europe, particularly Italy and other Mediterranean regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grecian can be found in the archives of the Republic of Venice, where a merchant named Giovanni Grecian was mentioned in a document dated 1347. This suggests that the name was already in use during the 14th century in the Venetian region of Italy, which had close ties with the Byzantine Empire and Greek communities.
The Grecian surname is also present in the records of the island of Sicily, where a family with this name can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed that they were descendants of Greek settlers who arrived on the island during the Byzantine era or the later Venetian rule.
In England, the name Grecian first appears in the parish records of the city of London in the late 17th century. One notable individual was John Grecian (1649-1730), a successful merchant and philanthropist who founded a school for underprivileged children in the city.
Another prominent figure with the Grecian surname was Francesco Grecian (1765-1834), an Italian painter and art historian who specialized in religious and historical themes. He was born in the city of Verona and worked extensively in Venice and other parts of northern Italy.
During the 19th century, the Grecian name gained some prominence in the literary world. One example is Samuel Grecian (1817-1892), an English poet and essayist who wrote extensively on classical Greek literature and philosophy.
In the realm of science, the name Grecian is associated with Albert Grecian (1888-1961), a French-born American physicist who made significant contributions to the study of nuclear fusion and plasma physics.
Another notable figure was Maria Grecian (1904-1987), an Italian operatic soprano who performed at some of the world's most prestigious opera houses, including La Scala in Milan and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the Grecian surname throughout history, reflecting its deep-rooted connection to the Greek culture and the various regions where Greek communities have settled over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grecian
Among Census respondents with the surname Grecian, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Grecian 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 Grecian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 107
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grecian
Grecian 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-12 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,754 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-18 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,534 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,740 | 146 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | -12 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 15,754 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 17,534 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 Grecian 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 | #127,494 | #145,028 | -13.8% |
| Count | 134 | 116 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grecian bearers went from 134 to 116 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 17,534 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,028.
FAQ
Grecian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grecian?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Grecian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Grecian?
Grecian ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Grecian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Grecian.
Has Grecian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grecian went from 134 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Grecian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grecian, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Grecian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grecian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Grecian (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 Grecian mean?
An ethnic surname stemming from Greece or origins within Greek culture. 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 Grecian (0.04 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 many people are called Grecian?
Find out how many people are called Grecian on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.