2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Greenmyer
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a green meadow or moor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Greenmyer. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greenmyer 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Greenmyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenmyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greenmyer
The surname Greenmyer has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name or a descriptive term for someone who lived near a green meadow or field. The prefix "Green" likely refers to the color green, while the suffix "myer" is derived from the German word "mayer," meaning a farmer or landowner.
During the Middle Ages, many German surnames were derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or geographical locations. The name Greenmyer may have been initially used to identify an individual who lived in a particular area known for its lush, green landscapes or meadows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Greenmyer can be found in the church records of the town of Memmingen, located in the Bavarian region of Germany, dating back to the late 16th century. These records suggest that the name was well-established in that region during that time period.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Greenmyer surname began to spread across various German states and principalities. Notable individuals bearing this name include Johann Greenmyer, a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg who lived from 1680 to 1756, and Christoph Greenmyer, a prominent merchant and landowner from the town of Augsburg, who was born in 1712 and died in 1783.
As German immigration to the United States increased in the 19th century, many individuals with the surname Greenmyer settled in various parts of the country. One such individual was Friedrich Greenmyer, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1832 and later became a successful farmer in the state of Pennsylvania.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Greenmyer, born in 1820 in Württemberg, Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1848 and served as a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he settled in Ohio and became a respected community leader.
Other historical records mention individuals with the Greenmyer surname in various parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Austria. However, the surname's origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions, where it likely emerged as a descriptive name for farmers or landowners living in areas with abundant green meadows or fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greenmyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenmyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Greenmyer 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 Greenmyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greenmyer
Greenmyer 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+10 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 167 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-12 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 167 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 12,901 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 Greenmyer 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 | #130,610 | #143,511 | -9.9% |
| Count | 130 | 118 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greenmyer bearers went from 130 to 118 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 12,901 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #143,511.
FAQ
Greenmyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greenmyer?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Greenmyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Greenmyer?
Greenmyer ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Greenmyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Greenmyer.
Has Greenmyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greenmyer went from 130 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Greenmyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenmyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Greenmyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greenmyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Greenmyer (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 Greenmyer mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a green meadow or moor. 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 Greenmyer (0.04 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 share the surname Greenmyer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.