2000
#18,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,371
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Greenland
A surname derived from a geographic location referring to a person from Greenland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,533 Americans carry the last name Greenland. That puts it at #20,135 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 223,584 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greenland 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 Greenland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 223,584
Census rank
#20,135
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,337 bearers of the surname Greenland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20135th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenland, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greenland
The surname Greenland is of English origin, derived from the place name "Greenland" which refers to the island country between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The name is believed to have originated in the late 10th century after the Viking explorer Erik the Red first sighted Greenland and established a settlement there.
While the name Greenland itself is rooted in the Old Norse words "grōn" meaning "green" and "land" meaning "land", the surname's etymology points to an English origin. It likely emerged as a way to identify individuals who either came from Greenland or had some association with the region.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Greenland can be found in medieval English records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which document a Robert de Grenelande in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also mention a Thomas Grenlond in Cambridgeshire.
In the 15th century, the surname appeared in various forms including Grenlond, Grenelonde, and Grenelund, reflecting the linguistic variations of the time. One notable bearer of the name was John Greenland, a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London, who lived around 1450.
As exploration and trade with Greenland increased in the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Greenland became more prevalent in England. William Greenland (1537-1612) was a notable figure who served as the Captain of Gravesend, responsible for overseeing shipping on the River Thames.
Another prominent individual was Sir John Greenland (1602-1675), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucester and played a role in the English Civil War. He was knighted by King Charles I in 1642.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Greenland continued to be found throughout England, with various individuals making contributions in different fields. Benjamin Greenland (1756-1823) was an influential nonconformist minister and author, while John Greenland (1821-1891) was a renowned English landscape painter.
While the surname Greenland is not extremely common, it has been carried by notable individuals throughout history, reflecting its roots in the exploration and settlement of the island country that bears its name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greenland
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenland, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Greenland 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 Greenland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 1,098
- Black or African American9.0% · 120
- Two or more races4.3% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greenland
Greenland 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
#19,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,415
+44 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 629 places
2020
#20,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,337
-78 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 946 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,560 | 1,371 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,189 | 1,415 | 0.48 | +44 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 629 places |
| 2020 | #20,135 | 1,337 | 0.45 | -78 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 946 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 Greenland 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 | #19,189 | #20,135 | -4.9% |
| Count | 1,415 | 1,337 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.45 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greenland bearers went from 1,415 to 1,337 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 946 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,189 to #20,135.
FAQ
Greenland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greenland?
Name Census estimates that about 1,533 living Americans carry the surname Greenland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 223,584 residents.
How common is Greenland?
Greenland ranks #20,135 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,337 people with the surname Greenland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Greenland.
Has Greenland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greenland went from 1,415 recorded bearers to 1,337. That is a decrease of 78 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,189 to #20,135.
What does the Census say about the background of Greenland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenland, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Greenland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (1,098 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greenland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Greenland (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 Greenland mean?
A surname derived from a geographic location referring to a person from Greenland. 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 Greenland (0.45 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 Americans have the surname Greenland?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.