2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Greetham
An English surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Greatham, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Greetham. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greetham 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 Greetham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Greetham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greetham, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greetham
The surname Greetham originates from England. It is a locational name derived from the village of Greetham in Rutland, which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as 'Gredham'. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words 'greot' meaning 'grit' or 'gravel', and 'ham' meaning 'homestead' or 'settlement'.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Gredham, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Rutland in 1185. In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as 'Gretham', 'Grettham', and 'Greteham'.
Sir John Greetham, born around 1420, was a prominent figure during the Wars of the Roses. He fought for the House of Lancaster and was knighted for his service in the Battle of Towton in 1461. Another notable bearer of the name was William Greetham, a 16th-century merchant and alderman in the City of London.
During the English Civil War, Captain Thomas Greetham (1615-1678) served in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He was later appointed as a Commissioner for the Militia in Rutland.
In the 18th century, Samuel Greetham (1737-1807) was a renowned clockmaker from Lincolnshire, known for his intricate and highly accurate timepieces. His clocks are now highly prized by collectors.
Another notable figure was Sir Edmund Greetham (1801-1869), a British diplomat who served as the Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1848 to 1858. He played a crucial role in negotiating diplomatic agreements during a turbulent period in the region.
While the surname Greetham is predominantly found in England, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greetham
Among Census respondents with the surname Greetham, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Greetham 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 Greetham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 102
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greetham
Greetham 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-14 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,350 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-7 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 19,350 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 8,191 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 Greetham 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 | #138,304 | #146,495 | -5.9% |
| Count | 121 | 114 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greetham bearers went from 121 to 114 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 8,191 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #146,495.
FAQ
Greetham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greetham?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Greetham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Greetham?
Greetham ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Greetham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Greetham.
Has Greetham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greetham went from 121 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Greetham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greetham, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.5%). 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 Greetham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greetham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (5.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.5%). 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 Greetham (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 Greetham mean?
An English surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone from Greatham, England. 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 Greetham (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 Greetham?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Greetham on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.