2000
#11,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,497
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Greig
A Scottish and English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "grey" or "green."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,632 Americans carry the last name Greig. That puts it at #12,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,226 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greig 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 Greig with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,226
Census rank
#12,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,295 bearers of the surname Greig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greig, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greig
The surname Greig has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the lands of Greig, near Arbroath in the county of Angus. The name is believed to have evolved from the Gaelic word "grìog," meaning a small rocky hillock or a gravelly place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The entry mentions Thomas de Greyge, a landowner from Angus.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including Grig, Grigg, and Greyg, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1359 mention a William de Greyg, who held lands in Fife.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Greig family established themselves as influential landowners and merchants in the coastal towns of Angus and Fife. Notable figures from this period include John Greig (1570-1642), a successful merchant in Dundee, and Alexander Greig (1625-1701), who served as Provost of Montrose.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the exploits of Samuel Greig (1735-1788), a Scottish-Russian admiral who played a significant role in the Russo-Turkish Wars and the expansion of the Russian Navy. He was born in Inverkeithing, Fife, and rose through the ranks of the Russian Imperial Navy, becoming a close confidant of Catherine the Great.
Another notable figure from this era is John Greig (1759-1839), a Scottish-American merchant and politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the Virginia State Senate.
The 19th century saw the Greig surname spread further afield, with individuals emigrating to various parts of the British Empire and beyond. One notable figure was Sir Robert Greig (1833-1908), a Scottish-Australian entrepreneur and politician who served as Premier of South Australia from 1884 to 1885.
In the 20th century, the name gained recognition through the achievements of Eric Greig (1904-1992), a South African cricketer who captained the national team and later served as a cricket administrator and commentator.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greig
Among Census respondents with the surname Greig, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Greig 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 Greig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 1,982
- Two or more races4.1% · 94
- Black or African American3.7% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greig
Greig 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
#11,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,758
+261 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 124 places
2020
#12,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,295
-463 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 1,390 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,547 | 2,497 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,423 | 2,758 | 0.93 | +261 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 124 places |
| 2020 | #12,813 | 2,295 | 0.77 | -463 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 1,390 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 Greig 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 | #11,423 | #12,813 | -12.2% |
| Count | 2,758 | 2,295 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.77 | -17.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greig bearers went from 2,758 to 2,295 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 1,390 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,423 to #12,813.
FAQ
Greig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greig?
Name Census estimates that about 2,632 living Americans carry the surname Greig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,226 residents.
How common is Greig?
Greig ranks #12,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,295 people with the surname Greig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,632), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Greig.
Has Greig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greig went from 2,758 recorded bearers to 2,295. That is a decrease of 463 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,423 to #12,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Greig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greig, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Greig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (1,982 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Black (3.7%). 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 Greig (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 Greig mean?
A Scottish and English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "grey" or "green." 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 Greig (0.77 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 Greig?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.