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

Greek, 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 Greek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Greek in America

Greek is the 18156th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Greek surname appeared 1,533 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Greek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Greek 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 Greek

The surname GREEK is an English locational name that originated from the country of Greece. It was likely first used in England during the medieval period, referring to someone who had come from Greece or had ancestral ties to that country.

The name GREEK is derived from the Old English word "Grec" or "Grek," which itself comes from the Latin "Graecus," meaning "Greek." This Latin word stems from the Greek term "Graikoi," which was the name used by the Greeks to refer to themselves.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GREEK can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a person named Robertus Grek is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was in use in England by the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1279 include a reference to a Walter le Grek, indicating the use of the locational prefix "le" to denote "the Greek."

During the 14th century, the surname GREEK appears in various records, such as the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, which mentions a Johannes Greke.

One notable individual with the surname GREEK was John Greeke (c. 1390-1454), an English Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1436 until his death.

Another prominent figure was Humphrey Greeke (c. 1510-1588), an English politician and Member of Parliament who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, Richard Greek (c. 1610-1693) was an English composer and organist who worked at the Chapel Royal in London.

In the 18th century, Henry Greek (1727-1801) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname GREEK was Field Marshal Sir John Greek (1880-1959), a British Army officer who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II.

These examples illustrate the long history of the surname GREEK, which has been present in various forms throughout the centuries, spanning different regions and social strata within England and the broader British Isles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Greek

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

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

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

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