2000
#4,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,883
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.92
Rare Last name
Griego
A Spanish surname referring to a person of Greek descent or origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,291 Americans carry the last name Griego. That puts it at #4,228 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,891 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Griego 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 36,891
Census rank
#4,228
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,102 bearers of the surname Griego in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4228th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Griego, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (14.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Griego
Among Census respondents with the surname Griego, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (14.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Griego 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 Griego surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.2% · 6,658
- White14.8% · 1,197
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 85
- Two or more races0.9% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
- Black or African American0.5% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Griego
Griego 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
#4,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,456
+573 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 2.87
Rank movement Down 28 places
2020
#4,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,102
-354 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.71
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,164 | 7,883 | 2.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,192 | 8,456 | 2.87 | +573 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 28 places |
| 2020 | #4,228 | 8,102 | 2.71 | -354 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 36 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 Griego 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 | #4,192 | #4,228 | -0.9% |
| Count | 8,456 | 8,102 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.87 | 2.71 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Griego bearers went from 8,456 to 8,102 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,192 to #4,228.
FAQ
Griego surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Griego?
Name Census estimates that about 9,291 living Americans carry the surname Griego. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,891 residents.
How common is Griego?
Griego ranks #4,228 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.71 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 8,102 people with the surname Griego. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,291), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.71 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 Griego.
Has Griego become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Griego went from 8,456 recorded bearers to 8,102. That is a decrease of 354 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,192 to #4,228.
What does the Census say about the background of Griego?
Among Census respondents with the surname Griego, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (14.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Griego in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (6,658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Griego appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.2%), White (14.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Griego (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 Griego mean?
A Spanish surname referring to a person of Greek descent or origin. 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 Griego (2.71 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 people have the last name Griego?
See how many people have the last name Griego on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.