2000
#41,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 496
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Greever
A topographic surname derived from an Old English word meaning "grove" or "thicket".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 569 Americans carry the last name Greever. That puts it at #46,335 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 602,380 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greever 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
569
1 in 602,380
Census rank
#46,335
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
496
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 496 bearers of the surname Greever in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46335th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greever, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greever
The surname Greever has its origins in the German language and is believed to have first appeared in the region of Bavaria in southern Germany during the late Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the old Germanic word "greve," which referred to a local lord or landowner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town records of Landshut, dating back to the mid-15th century. These records mention a certain Jakob Greever, who was a landowner and influential figure in the local community.
As the name spread across Germany and neighboring regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Grefer, Gräfer, and Gräver. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation and record-keeping practices.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Nürnberg, where a wealthy merchant named Hans Greever is mentioned as a prominent member of the local guild of traders.
During the 17th century, the Greever name gained some prominence in the region of the Palatinate, located in southwestern Germany. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Greever (1602-1672), a respected Lutheran theologian and author of several treatises on religious doctrine.
As the centuries progressed, the name spread further across Europe, with some Greevers migrating to neighboring countries like Switzerland and the Netherlands. One notable figure from this era was Willem Greever (1734-1804), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscape art.
In the 19th century, the Greever name crossed the Atlantic, with several families settling in the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances in North America is that of Jacob Greever (1812-1891), a farmer from Bavaria who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1830s.
Other notable individuals bearing the Greever surname include:
1. Heinrich Greever (1865-1938), a German architect and urban planner who designed several landmarks in Berlin.
2. Elsie Greever (1889-1976), an American artist and illustrator known for her works depicting Native American culture.
3. Gustav Greever (1902-1988), a German-born American chemist who made significant contributions to the development of synthetic rubber during World War II.
4. Kathryn Greever (1921-2010), an American author and historian who wrote extensively about the history of the American West.
5. Peter Greever (born 1958), a German-born American businessman and entrepreneur who founded several successful technology companies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greever
Among Census respondents with the surname Greever, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Greever 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 Greever surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 461
- Two or more races3.2% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greever
Greever 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
#42,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 508
+12 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 1,258 places
2020
#46,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 496
-12 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 3,695 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,382 | 496 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,640 | 508 | 0.17 | +12 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 1,258 places |
| 2020 | #46,335 | 496 | 0.17 | -12 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 3,695 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 Greever 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 | #42,640 | #46,335 | -8.7% |
| Count | 508 | 496 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.17 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greever bearers went from 508 to 496 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 3,695 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,640 to #46,335.
FAQ
Greever surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greever?
Name Census estimates that about 569 living Americans carry the surname Greever. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 602,380 residents.
How common is Greever?
Greever ranks #46,335 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 496 people with the surname Greever. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (569), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Greever.
Has Greever become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greever went from 508 recorded bearers to 496. That is a decrease of 12 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #42,640 to #46,335.
What does the Census say about the background of Greever?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greever, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Greever in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (461 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greever appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Greever (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 Greever mean?
A topographic surname derived from an Old English word meaning "grove" or "thicket". 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 Greever (0.17 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 Americans have the surname Greever?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.