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

Griego, 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 Griego surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Griego in America

Griego is the 4192nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Griego surname appeared 8,456 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Griego.

We can also compare 2010 data for Griego 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 Griego

The surname Griego originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "griego," which means "Greek." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who had Greek ancestry or connections to the Greek culture or language.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Griego can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, particularly in areas with a strong Greek influence or presence. This could include regions like Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands, which had historical ties to the Byzantine Empire and Greek culture.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Griego was Juan Griego, a merchant from Barcelona who was mentioned in a document dated 1275. Another notable figure was Pedro Griego, a scholar and translator from Mallorca, who lived in the late 14th century and was renowned for his translations of ancient Greek texts into Latin and Spanish.

In the 15th century, the surname Griego appeared in historical records related to the Spanish Inquisition. For example, there are records of a family named Griego who was accused of practicing crypto-Judaism, as they were suspected of secretly adhering to Jewish customs and beliefs despite outwardly professing Catholicism.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Griego became more widespread across Spain and its colonies in the Americas. One notable individual was Hernán Griego, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.

Another prominent figure was Diego Griego, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Juan Ponce de León on his expeditions to Florida in the early 1500s. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to set foot on what is now the continental United States.

In the 18th century, the surname Griego can be found in various Spanish colonial records in regions like Mexico, Peru, and Chile. One example is Juana Griego, a philanthropist and landowner in Mexico City, who donated a significant portion of her wealth to charitable causes in the late 1700s.

As the Griego surname spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world, it also evolved into various regional variations and spellings, such as Grigo, Griggio, and Grighi, particularly in areas with Italian or French influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Griego

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

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

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

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