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

Greer, 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 Greer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Greer in America

Greer is the 590th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Greer surname appeared 57,043 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Greer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Greer 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 Greer

The surname Greer originated in Scotland and is derived from the Gaelic word "griar," which means "watchman" or "guardian." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who served as a watchman or guardian, perhaps for a Scottish clan or landowner.

The earliest recorded instances of the Greer surname date back to the 12th century in Scotland. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Gillechrist Gryr, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

The Greer surname is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Greerston in Renfrewshire and Greers in Aberdeenshire. These place names may have derived from the surname or vice versa, with the name potentially originating from a particular location where the family resided.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the Greer surname was Robert Greer, a Scottish Protestant reformer and minister who lived from around 1510 to 1590. He was a prominent figure in the Scottish Reformation and played a role in the establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland.

Another historical figure with the Greer surname was Sir Robert Greer, a Scottish military commander who lived from 1638 to 1708. He served as a colonel in the British Army and fought in several battles during the Williamite War in Ireland.

In the 18th century, John Greer (1720-1805) was a Scottish-born American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He served as a captain in the Continental Army and was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

Moving to the 19th century, Eliza Greer (1804-1887) was a Scottish-born American philanthropist and educator. She founded several schools and educational institutions in the United States, including Greer College in Hoopeston, Illinois.

In the 20th century, Germaine Greer (born 1939) is an Australian academic, writer, and feminist activist. She is best known for her influential book "The Female Eunuch," which became a landmark publication in the women's liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Greer

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

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

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

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