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

Greenman, 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 Greenman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Greenman in America

Greenman is the 12025th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Greenman surname appeared 2,596 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Greenman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Greenman 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 Greenman

The surname Greenman is of English origin, emerging in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "grene" meaning green and "mann" meaning man, likely referring to someone who lived near a green or a forested area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Greenman can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a William Greneman is mentioned. The name also appears in various forms such as Greneman, Grenemannus, and Grenmon in various medieval records and charters from across England.

During the 13th century, the surname Greenman was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. Place names like Greenham in Berkshire and Greenholme in Yorkshire may have influenced the development of the surname in those regions.

A notable early bearer of the name was John Greenman, a wealthy landowner from Nottinghamshire who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in several land records and legal documents from the period.

In the 16th century, the surname Greenman was well-established across England. Thomas Greenman (c.1500-1580) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, known for his philanthropic efforts and involvement in local governance.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Captain William Greenman (1610-1676) fought for the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He was later appointed as a commissioner for the trial of King Charles I.

Another noteworthy figure was Edward Greenman (1722-1798), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Radwinter in Essex. He published several religious works and sermons during his lifetime.

In the 19th century, Henry Greenman (1810-1892) was a prominent architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Gothic Revival style across southern England.

While the surname Greenman is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period, with various notable bearers contributing to various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Greenman

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

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

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

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