2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Greenville
A locational surname referring to someone from a green village or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Greenville. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greenville 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Greenville in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenville, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greenville
The surname Greenville has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. The name is derived from the Old English words "grene" meaning green, and "vill" or "ville" meaning a town or village. It was likely originally a place name referring to a green or verdant town or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Greneville." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in England.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Greenville began to appear more frequently in historical records, often referring to specific locations or landholdings. For example, in 1195, a Robert de Greneville is mentioned as holding lands in Wiltshire.
Over time, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations such as Grenville, Greenvile, and Grenvile appearing in different regions and time periods. This diversity in spelling was common in the Middle Ages before standardized spelling conventions were established.
Notable individuals with the surname Greenville include Sir Bevil Grenville (1596-1643), an English royalist army officer who fought in the English Civil War, and Richard Grenville (c. 1542-1591), an English sailor and explorer who was involved in the early colonization efforts in the Americas.
Another prominent figure was Sir John Grenville (c. 1489-1556), who served as a member of Parliament and held various positions in the court of Henry VIII. His grandson, Sir Richard Grenville (1542-1591), was a famous sea captain and explorer who played a role in the early English colonization of the Americas.
In the 17th century, Sir John Grenville (1617-1683) was a prominent English politician and landowner who served as a member of Parliament and held the position of Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall.
Sir Thomas Grenville (1755-1846), born in the 18th century, was a British politician and bibliophile who amassed a significant collection of rare books and manuscripts, many of which are now housed in the British Library.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Greenville or its variations, reflecting the name's long-standing presence and significance in English society and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greenville
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenville, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Greenville 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 Greenville surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 93
- Black or African American9.1% · 11
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greenville
Greenville 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,606 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+10 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,038 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,606 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 7,038 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 Greenville 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 | #148,347 | #141,309 | 4.7% |
| Count | 111 | 121 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greenville bearers went from 111 to 121 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 7,038 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #141,309.
FAQ
Greenville surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greenville?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Greenville. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Greenville?
Greenville ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Greenville. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Greenville.
Has Greenville become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greenville went from 111 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 10 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Greenville?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenville, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Greenville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greenville appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (9.1%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Greenville (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 Greenville mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a green village or town. 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 Greenville (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 common is the surname Greenville?
Want to know how common the surname Greenville is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.