2000
#77,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Greenshields
A locational surname indicating an area where green shields or screens were once found.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 294 Americans carry the last name Greenshields. That puts it at #80,054 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,165,831 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greenshields 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 Greenshields with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
294
1 in 1,165,831
Census rank
#80,054
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
256
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 256 bearers of the surname Greenshields in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 80054th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenshields, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greenshields
The surname Greenshields is of Scottish origin, and it is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century. The name is a combination of the Old English words "grene," meaning green, and "scheld," meaning shield or shelter, suggesting that it may have been a descriptive name for someone who lived near a green-covered shield or shelter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Scottish parish records of Lanarkshire, where a John Greenshields was listed in 1645. The name also appears in other historical records from the same region, such as the Renfrewshire Parish Records, where a William Greenshields was mentioned in 1673.
In the late 17th century, the Reverend Francis Greenshields (1663-1708) was a notable figure associated with the surname. He was a Church of Scotland minister who was imprisoned for his support of the Episcopal Church in Scotland. His case garnered significant attention and contributed to the eventual passing of the Toleration Act of 1712, which granted greater religious freedom in Britain.
Another notable person with the surname Greenshields was John Greenshields (1803-1887), a Scottish-born Australian settler and entrepreneur. He was one of the early pioneers in the Australian wine industry and established the Greenshields Wines company in South Australia.
In the 19th century, the name Greenshields was also associated with the textile industry in Scotland. Robert Greenshields (1820-1898) was a successful Scottish textile manufacturer and philanthropist who founded the Greenshields & Co. textile company in Paisley.
Other historical figures with the surname Greenshields include James Greenshields (1834-1914), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria, and Sir John Greenshields (1856-1948), a British civil engineer and architect who was involved in the construction of several notable buildings in London and other parts of the United Kingdom.
While the surname Greenshields may have originated as a descriptive name, it has since become a well-established family name with a rich history, particularly in Scotland and parts of Australia, where individuals bearing this surname have made significant contributions across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greenshields
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenshields, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Greenshields 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 Greenshields surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 235
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 9
- Two or more races1.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greenshields
Greenshields 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
#71,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 273
+44 bearers (+19.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 6,264 places
2020
#80,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 256
-17 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 8,576 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #77,742 | 229 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #71,478 | 273 | 0.09 | +44 bearers (+19.2%) | Up 6,264 places |
| 2020 | #80,054 | 256 | 0.09 | -17 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 8,576 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 Greenshields 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 | #71,478 | #80,054 | -12.0% |
| Count | 273 | 256 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greenshields bearers went from 273 to 256 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 8,576 positions in the national ranking, going from #71,478 to #80,054.
FAQ
Greenshields surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greenshields?
Name Census estimates that about 294 living Americans carry the surname Greenshields. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,165,831 residents.
How common is Greenshields?
Greenshields ranks #80,054 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 256 people with the surname Greenshields. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (294), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Greenshields.
Has Greenshields become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greenshields went from 273 recorded bearers to 256. That is a decrease of 17 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #71,478 to #80,054.
What does the Census say about the background of Greenshields?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenshields, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Greenshields in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (235 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greenshields appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Greenshields (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 Greenshields mean?
A locational surname indicating an area where green shields or screens were once found. 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 Greenshields (0.09 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 are called Greenshields?
See how many people are called Greenshields on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.