2000
#2,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,098
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.86
Uncommon Last name
Grier
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the lands of Grier in Dumfriesshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,435 Americans carry the last name Grier. That puts it at #2,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,206 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grier 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 Grier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,206
Census rank
#2,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,460 bearers of the surname Grier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.3%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grier
Among Census respondents with the surname Grier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.3%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Grier 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 Grier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American55.3% · 7,449
- White36.2% · 4,879
- Two or more races4.7% · 639
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 407
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grier
Grier 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
#2,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,868
+770 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 4.70
Rank movement Down 71 places
2020
#2,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,460
-408 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 4.50
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,529 | 13,098 | 4.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,600 | 13,868 | 4.70 | +770 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 71 places |
| 2020 | #2,619 | 13,460 | 4.50 | -408 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 19 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 Grier 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 | #2,600 | #2,619 | -0.7% |
| Count | 13,868 | 13,460 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.70 | 4.50 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grier bearers went from 13,868 to 13,460 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,600 to #2,619.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grier
FAQ
Grier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grier?
Name Census estimates that about 15,435 living Americans carry the surname Grier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,206 residents.
How common is Grier?
Grier ranks #2,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,460 people with the surname Grier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,435), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Grier.
Has Grier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grier went from 13,868 recorded bearers to 13,460. That is a decrease of 408 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,600 to #2,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Grier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.3%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Grier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.3% (7,449 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (55.3%), White (36.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Grier (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 Grier mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the lands of Grier in Dumfriesshire. 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 Grier (4.50 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 are called Grier?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Grier is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.