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

Greely, 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 Greely surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Greely in America

Greely is the 22012th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Greely surname appeared 1,178 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Greely.

We can also compare 2010 data for Greely 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 Greely

The surname Greely is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "grene" and "leah," meaning "green" and "meadow" or "clearing" respectively. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived in a green meadow or clearing, perhaps near a forest or woodland area.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Greely can be found in various medieval records and documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "de Greneleye." This spelling variation reflects the name's roots in a specific place name, a common practice during that time period.

One notable historical reference to the name Greely is found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named "Robertus de Grenlei" in Herefordshire, indicating the presence of the surname in its early form.

In the 13th century, a prominent figure bearing the name was Sir John Greeley, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I during the Scottish Wars of Independence. He was born around 1260 and served as a member of the king's council.

Another notable individual with the surname was Robert Greely, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 15th century. He was born around 1420 and is recorded as having held significant influence within the city's governance.

During the 16th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Parish Registers of Gloucestershire, where a Thomas Greely was listed as a resident of the village of Cirencester in 1568.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure was Adolphus Greely, a clergyman and author who was born in 1611 in Wiltshire. He is best known for his work "The Spiritual Quixote," a satirical novel published in 1772.

The 18th century saw the birth of Sir William Greely, a British naval officer and explorer who was born in 1766 in Norfolk. He is renowned for his expeditions to the Arctic regions and for his contributions to the study of polar navigation.

As the surname spread and evolved over the centuries, various spellings emerged, including Greeley, Greely, Greel, and Griely, among others. These variations reflect the influence of regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions in earlier times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Greely

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!