2000
#37
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 413,477
First available Census row
Per 100,000 153.27
Common Last name
Green
A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near a village green or had a green complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 476,653 Americans carry the last name Green. That puts it at #42 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 139.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 719 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Green 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 Green with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
477K
1 in 719
Census rank
#42
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
139.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
416K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 415,664 bearers of the surname Green in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 139.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 42nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Green, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (35.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Green
The surname Green is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "grene," meaning green, referring to a person who lived near a village green or in a verdant area. It emerged as a descriptive surname during the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Green can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202, where a Robert Green is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also lists a John le Grene from Oxfordshire.
The surname Green is closely associated with various place names, such as Greenfield, Greenford, and Greenhill, reflecting the geographic connection to green or grassy areas. Some early spellings of the name include Grene, Grene, and Grenne.
Prominent historical figures bearing the surname Green include Sir Henry Green (1583-1636), a renowned English lawyer and judge during the reign of King Charles I. Another notable individual was John Green (1688-1757), an English bishop and author of "The Principles of the Reverend Dr. Snape in a Letter to the Bishop of Bangor."
In literature, the name appears in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," where a character named Green is mentioned in the Prologue to the Cook's Tale, written around 1390.
During the 16th century, a Robert Green (1558-1592) gained recognition as a renowned English poet, playwright, and pamphleteer. His works include "Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay" and "The Scottish History of James IV."
Another notable figure was Bartholomew Green (1667-1732), an English printer and publisher who established the Cambridge University Press in 1698 and played a significant role in the development of printing in England.
The surname Green has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the English countryside and its bearers leaving their mark across various fields, including law, literature, and publishing.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Green
Among Census respondents with the surname Green, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (35.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Green 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 Green surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.5% · 226,665
- Black or African American35.8% · 148,766
- Two or more races4.7% · 19,711
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 15,665
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2,492
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2,365
Timeline
Historical Census data for Green
Green 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
#41
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 430,182
+16,705 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 145.83
Rank movement Down 4 places
2020
#42
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 415,664
-14,518 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 139.07
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37 | 413,477 | 153.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #41 | 430,182 | 145.83 | +16,705 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 4 places |
| 2020 | #42 | 415,664 | 139.07 | -14,518 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 1 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 Green 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 | #41 | #42 | -2.4% |
| Count | 430,182 | 415,664 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 145.83 | 139.07 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Green bearers went from 430,182 to 415,664 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #41 to #42.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Green
FAQ
Green surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Green?
Name Census estimates that about 476,653 living Americans carry the surname Green. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 719 residents.
How common is Green?
Green ranks #42 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 139.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 139 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 415,664 people with the surname Green. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (476,653), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 139.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 139.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 139 of them to have the surname Green.
Has Green become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Green went from 430,182 recorded bearers to 415,664. That is a decrease of 14,518 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #41 to #42.
What does the Census say about the background of Green?
Among Census respondents with the surname Green, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (35.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Green in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (226,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Green appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.5%), Black (35.8%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Green (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 Green mean?
A descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near a village green or had a green complexion. 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 Green (139.07 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 common is the surname Green?
You can see how common the surname Green is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.