2000
#3,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.05
Rare Last name
Greiner
An occupational surname for a crier or a herald, derived from the Middle High German word "grînaere" meaning "crier".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,253 Americans carry the last name Greiner. That puts it at #4,251 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,043 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greiner 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
9.3K
1 in 37,043
Census rank
#4,251
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,069 bearers of the surname Greiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4251st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greiner
The surname Greiner is of German origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "grün," meaning "green," and was originally used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near a green or grassy area or worked as a gardener or farmer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Greiner can be found in a historical document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1292, which mentions a person named Heinz Greiner. This suggests that the name was already in use in the region during the late Middle Ages.
In the 15th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Grüner," appeared in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a family with this surname held significant influence and owned several properties.
The name Greiner is also linked to various place names in Germany, such as Grünenbach, Grünenplan, and Grünfeld, indicating that some families may have taken their surname from the place they lived or originated.
Notable individuals with the surname Greiner throughout history include:
1. Christoph Greiner (1628-1697), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg.
2. Johann Greiner (1760-1836), a German painter and engraver from Augsburg.
3. Karl Greiner (1864-1942), a German architect and urban planner who designed several public buildings in Berlin.
4. Erich Greiner (1891-1966), a German military officer who served in World War I and World War II, reaching the rank of General.
5. Walther Greiner (1935-present), a German theoretical physicist known for his contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
While the surname Greiner has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and has been adopted by families of various cultural backgrounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Greiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Greiner 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 Greiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 7,521
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 244
- Two or more races2.5% · 205
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
- Black or African American0.4% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greiner
Greiner 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
#3,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,935
+695 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 3.03
Rank movement Down 24 places
2020
#4,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,069
-866 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 273 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,954 | 8,240 | 3.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,978 | 8,935 | 3.03 | +695 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 24 places |
| 2020 | #4,251 | 8,069 | 2.70 | -866 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 273 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 Greiner 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 | #3,978 | #4,251 | -6.9% |
| Count | 8,935 | 8,069 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.03 | 2.70 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greiner bearers went from 8,935 to 8,069 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 273 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,978 to #4,251.
FAQ
Greiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greiner?
Name Census estimates that about 9,253 living Americans carry the surname Greiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,043 residents.
How common is Greiner?
Greiner ranks #4,251 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,069 people with the surname Greiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Greiner.
Has Greiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greiner went from 8,935 recorded bearers to 8,069. That is a decrease of 866 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,978 to #4,251.
What does the Census say about the background of Greiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Greiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (7,521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greiner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Greiner (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 Greiner mean?
An occupational surname for a crier or a herald, derived from the Middle High German word "grînaere" meaning "crier". 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 Greiner (2.70 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 Greiner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.