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

Greener, 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 Greener surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Greener in America

Greener is the 20139th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Greener surname appeared 1,326 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 Greener.

We can also compare 2010 data for Greener 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 Greener

The surname "GREENER" is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "grene," meaning "green" or "verdant." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a green area or worked as a gardener or groundskeeper.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191, which mention a William le Grenere. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer, and the inclusion of this name suggests that the Greener family had established themselves in the region by that time.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Grenere," "Grener," and "Grennour," reflecting the natural evolution of language and spelling over time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like survey conducted in England, lists several individuals with the surname, including Robert le Grener in Cambridgeshire and Richard le Grenour in Oxfordshire.

During the medieval period, the Greener name was also associated with certain place names. For instance, the Greener family was recorded in the village of Greneborough (now Greenborough) in Buckinghamshire, and the nearby Greneworth (now Grendon Underwood) may have been another location where the family resided.

One notable figure with the Greener surname was John Greener (c. 1520-1564), a prominent English Protestant reformer and writer who was heavily involved in the religious upheavals of the 16th century. Another historical figure was William Greener (1806-1869), a renowned English gunsmith and inventor of several significant improvements to firearms.

Other individuals of note include Thomas Greener (1684-1738), an English clergyman and author; James Greener (1777-1839), a Scottish agriculturist and writer on rural affairs; and Richard Greener (1844-1922), a pioneering African American academic who became the first black graduate of Harvard College.

Throughout the centuries, the Greener surname has maintained a strong presence in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, where the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Greener

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

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

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

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