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

Grier, 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 Grier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grier in America

Grier is the 2600th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grier surname appeared 13,868 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Grier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grier 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 Grier

The surname Grier originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Gaelic word "greusaiche", meaning a shoemaker or worker of leather goods. The name likely emerged as an occupational surname for those involved in this trade.

The earliest known records of the Grier name can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire in western Scotland. Similar spellings from this era include Grier, Griere, and Griyor. There are references to individuals with the surname Grier in old parish records and medieval charters from this part of Scotland.

One of the earliest documented examples is Willelmus Griere, who is mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Another early record is that of John Grier, a tenant farmer in the village of Lesmahago, Lanarkshire, in the late 14th century.

The Grier surname has strong ties to the region of Galloway in southwestern Scotland. In the 16th century, a notable figure was John Grier of Muirhouse, who served as the Sheriff of Wigtown in 1547. His descendants established themselves as landed gentry in the area.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the Grier surname. One example is Sir Robert Grier (1794-1870), a Scottish-American jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1846 to 1870.

Another prominent figure was Alvan Clark Grier (1833-1900), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1891 to 1895.

In the literary world, David Grier (1837-1902) was a Scottish poet and author who wrote under the pen name "Muirland Willie". His works, such as "The Grier's Lament", celebrated the culture and heritage of Galloway.

The surname Grier has also been associated with notable military figures, such as Major General Alvan Cullem Grier (1825-1903), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, and Air Vice Marshal Horace Grier (1912-1991), a senior commander in the Royal Air Force during World War II.

While the Grier name is most prevalent in Scotland and parts of the United States, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. The surname remains a reminder of the rich history and occupational origins of this Scottish family name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grier

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

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

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

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