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

Greenspan, 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 Greenspan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Greenspan in America

Greenspan is the 11497th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Greenspan surname appeared 2,737 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 Greenspan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Greenspan 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 Greenspan

The surname Greenspan originated in England during the late Middle Ages. It is believed to derive from a combination of the Old English words "grene" meaning green and "span" meaning a small piece of land or plot. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on a small green area or open space.

One of the earliest known recordings of the name dates back to 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a Robert Grenespanne was listed. Variant spellings from this era include Grenespane, Grenespan, and Grenesspanne. The name was also found in various Yorkshire records from the 14th century.

In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct mentions of Greenspan, but there are references to people with similar surnames like Grenewude and Greneville, indicating the name's origins may go back further.

Notable historical figures with the surname Greenspan include John Greenspan, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 16th century. Another early bearer was Reverend William Greenspan (1592-1670), a Puritan minister and author from Oxfordshire.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name appeared in various parish records across England, often associated with rural areas and villages. Some examples include Thomas Greenspan (1635-1712) from Hartfield, Sussex, and Elizabeth Greenspan (born 1743) from Wiltshire.

One of the most famous Greenspans was the American economist Alan Greenspan (1926-present), who served as the Chair of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. Other notable individuals include the British artist Elaine Greenspan (1932-2020) and the American author Alan Greenspan (1928-2018).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Greenspan

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

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

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

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