2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Greedy
Having or exhibiting an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Greedy. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greedy 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 Greedy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Greedy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greedy, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greedy
The surname Greedy originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "gredig" or "graedig," meaning "greedy" or "voracious." It was initially a descriptive nickname given to someone perceived as having an excessive appetite or a greedy nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1208, where a William Gredy is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, referencing a John Gredy.
In the 14th century, the surname Greedy was documented in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Leicestershire, and Oxfordshire. One notable individual was John Greedy, a landowner in Somerset, who was mentioned in records from the year 1332.
The Greedy surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Gredenton (now known as Gredington) in Shropshire and Gredney in Herefordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname, including Gredey, Gredy, and Gredney.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Greedy have achieved notable status. In the 16th century, William Greedy (c. 1520-1588) was a prominent English politician and Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury. Another notable figure was Sir Samuel Greedy (1619-1708), a lawyer and Member of Parliament for Warwickshire during the reign of Charles II.
During the 17th century, John Greedy (1608-1693) was a English clergyman and author, known for his work "The Vision of Protestant Truth." In the 18th century, Thomas Greedy (1726-1798) was a renowned English portraitist and landscape painter.
In the 19th century, Richard Greedy (1801-1877) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
While the surname Greedy may have originated from a descriptive nickname, it has since become a distinctive and widely dispersed English surname, with a rich history and notable individuals bearing the name throughout various periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greedy
Among Census respondents with the surname Greedy, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Greedy 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 Greedy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino9.6% · 11
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greedy
Greedy 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+24 bearers (+22.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,529 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-15 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +24 bearers (+22.9%) | Up 13,529 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 15,116 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 Greedy 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 | #131,379 | #146,495 | -11.5% |
| Count | 129 | 114 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greedy bearers went from 129 to 114 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 15,116 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #146,495.
FAQ
Greedy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greedy?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Greedy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Greedy?
Greedy ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Greedy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Greedy.
Has Greedy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greedy went from 129 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Greedy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greedy, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Greedy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greedy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (9.6%), Two or More Races (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 Greedy (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 Greedy mean?
Having or exhibiting an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves. 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 Greedy (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 have the surname Greedy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.