2000
#3,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Rare Last name
Greenlee
Derived from a place name meaning "green clearing" or "green meadow" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,525 Americans carry the last name Greenlee. That puts it at #4,141 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greenlee 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.
Bearers in the US
9.5K
1 in 35,985
Census rank
#4,141
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,306 bearers of the surname Greenlee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4141st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greenlee
The surname Greenlee originates from the northern English county of Lancashire, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'grene' meaning green and 'leah' meaning a meadow or clearing in the woods. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a green meadow or clearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, where it is spelled 'de Grenelowe'. This early spelling suggests the name may have evolved from a place name, possibly a lost or unnamed village or hamlet.
By the 16th century, variations like 'Grenelagh' and 'Greneley' were found in records from Lancashire and neighboring Yorkshire. The modern spelling 'Greenlee' emerged in the 17th century, with records showing families of this name residing in the towns of Burnley and Colne.
Historically, the Greenlee name is associated with the Greenhalgh and Greenall families, who were prominent landowners in Lancashire during the medieval and Tudor periods. The Greenlees may have been a cadet branch or tenants of these larger families.
Notable individuals bearing the Greenlee surname include William Greenlee (1675-1737), a Quaker minister from Pennsylvania who campaigned against slavery. John Greenlee (1718-1792) was an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler of Kentucky. Haym Greenlee (1723-1790) was a Polish-born Jewish immigrant who helped finance the American Revolution.
In the 19th century, James Greenlee (1833-1900) was a Scottish-born pastor who founded the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand. Edward Greenlee (1858-1932) was an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Greenlee Tool Company in Illinois.
Tracing its origins to medieval Lancashire, the surname Greenlee has a rich history spanning several centuries and countries, with bearers making significant contributions in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greenlee
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Greenlee 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 Greenlee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.2% · 6,079
- Black or African American17.5% · 1,453
- Two or more races4.9% · 406
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 267
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greenlee
Greenlee 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
#3,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,048
+517 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#4,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,306
-742 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 2.78
Rank movement Down 208 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,819 | 8,531 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,933 | 9,048 | 3.07 | +517 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #4,141 | 8,306 | 2.78 | -742 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 208 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 Greenlee 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 | #3,933 | #4,141 | -5.3% |
| Count | 9,048 | 8,306 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.07 | 2.78 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greenlee bearers went from 9,048 to 8,306 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 208 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,933 to #4,141.
FAQ
Greenlee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greenlee?
Name Census estimates that about 9,525 living Americans carry the surname Greenlee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,985 residents.
How common is Greenlee?
Greenlee ranks #4,141 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,306 people with the surname Greenlee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Greenlee.
Has Greenlee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greenlee went from 9,048 recorded bearers to 8,306. That is a decrease of 742 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,933 to #4,141.
What does the Census say about the background of Greenlee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Greenlee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.2% (6,079 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greenlee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.2%), Black (17.5%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Greenlee (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 Greenlee mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "green clearing" or "green meadow" in Old English. 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 Greenlee (2.78 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 Greenlee?
You can see how common the surname Greenlee is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.