2000
#14,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Greenlaw
An English habitational surname derived from the name of a location meaning "green hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,065 Americans carry the last name Greenlaw. That puts it at #15,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greenlaw 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 Greenlaw with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,983
Census rank
#15,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,801 bearers of the surname Greenlaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenlaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greenlaw
The surname Greenlaw originated in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland in the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "grene" meaning green and "hlaw" meaning hill or mound, referring to a green hill or elevated area of land. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the thirteenth century as "Grenlaw" in the records of Berwickshire.
In the late thirteenth century, a Richard de Grenlaw is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of instruments recording the submission of Scottish nobles and gentry to Edward I of England. This suggests the Greenlaw surname was established in the Scottish Borders by this time.
The name is also associated with the small village of Greenlaw in Berwickshire, which likely took its name from the same Old English roots as the surname. This village is mentioned in a charter granted by King David I of Scotland in the twelfth century.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Greenlaw surname was Sir Robert de Greenlaw, a Scottish knight who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early fourteenth century. He was a supporter of King Robert the Bruce and was present at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
In the fifteenth century, a William Greenlaw is recorded as a burgess (a respected citizen) of the town of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders in 1458. This suggests the Greenlaw family had gained status and prominence in the region by this time.
Another notable bearer of the Greenlaw surname was John Greenlaw, a Scottish clergyman who served as Bishop of Aberdeen from 1491 to 1512. He was a significant figure in the Scottish Renaissance and is known for his patronage of education and the arts.
In the seventeenth century, the Greenlaw family had established themselves in other parts of Scotland as well. One example is Alexander Greenlaw, who was born in Glasgow in 1629 and served as the minister of the parish of Monkton in Ayrshire.
Other individuals with the Greenlaw surname include Richard Greenlaw (1772-1855), a Scottish-born farmer and landowner who emigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada, and James Greenlaw (1832-1908), a Scottish-born architect who worked in Melbourne, Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greenlaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenlaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Greenlaw 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 Greenlaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 1,468
- Black or African American10.4% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 61
- Two or more races3.3% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greenlaw
Greenlaw 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
#15,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,928
-6 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,014 places
2020
#15,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,801
-127 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 369 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,236 | 1,934 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,250 | 1,928 | 0.65 | -6 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 1,014 places |
| 2020 | #15,619 | 1,801 | 0.60 | -127 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 369 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 Greenlaw 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 | #15,250 | #15,619 | -2.4% |
| Count | 1,928 | 1,801 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.60 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greenlaw bearers went from 1,928 to 1,801 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 369 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,250 to #15,619.
FAQ
Greenlaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greenlaw?
Name Census estimates that about 2,065 living Americans carry the surname Greenlaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,983 residents.
How common is Greenlaw?
Greenlaw ranks #15,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,801 people with the surname Greenlaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,065), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Greenlaw.
Has Greenlaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greenlaw went from 1,928 recorded bearers to 1,801. That is a decrease of 127 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,250 to #15,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Greenlaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenlaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Greenlaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (1,468 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greenlaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Black (10.4%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Greenlaw (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 Greenlaw mean?
An English habitational surname derived from the name of a location meaning "green hill". 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 Greenlaw (0.60 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 people have the last name Greenlaw?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Greenlaw on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.