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

Greco, 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 Greco surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Greco in America

Greco is the 2110th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Greco surname appeared 17,150 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Greco.

We can also compare 2010 data for Greco 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 Greco

The surname Greco is of Italian origin and is derived from the Greek word "Graecos," meaning "Greek." It was initially used to refer to someone of Greek descent or someone who had some connection with Greece or Greek culture.

The name first appeared in Italy during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions with strong Greek influences, such as Sicily and parts of southern Italy. These areas had long-standing Greek colonies and were heavily influenced by Greek culture and language.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Greco can be found in medieval Italian documents and records. For example, a person named Grecus Maniscalcus was mentioned in a document from the city of Palermo, Sicily, in the year 1182.

The name Greco was also linked to various place names in Italy that had Greek roots, such as Grico and Greci. These place names were derived from the Greek word "Graecos" and often referred to areas with a significant Greek population or influence.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Greco. One of the earliest was Girolamo Greco (1563-1634), an Italian chess player and writer who is considered one of the most influential figures in the early development of modern chess theory.

Another prominent figure was Gian Battista Greco (1620-1692), an Italian painter and architect who worked in the Baroque style and was renowned for his fresco paintings in churches across Italy.

In the field of literature, Giambattista Greco (1782-1841) was an Italian poet and playwright from Naples who wrote in the Neapolitan dialect and is considered one of the founders of modern Neapolitan literature.

Vincenzo Greco (1819-1899) was an Italian sculptor and painter from Naples who is best known for his monumental sculptures and allegorical works.

More recently, Nunzio Greco (1927-1988) was an Italian-American professional wrestler and actor who gained fame in the 1950s and 1960s and was known for his flamboyant persona and colorful costumes.

While the surname Greco has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly among Italian diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the Greek influence on Italian culture and language during the Middle Ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Greco

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

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

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

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