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

Grieve, 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 Grieve surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Grieve in America

Grieve is the 14178th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Grieve surname appeared 2,118 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Grieve.

We can also compare 2010 data for Grieve 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 Grieve

The surname Grieve originated from the northern regions of England and Scotland during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "greve," which means a feudal officer or bailiff. The name likely arose as an occupational surname for someone who held this type of administrative position.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "le Greve." This suggests that the name was already established in northern England by the 13th century. Additionally, there are references to individuals with the surname Grieve in various Scottish records from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The name Grieve has been connected to several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Grieve, a Scottish clergyman and academic who lived from 1670 to 1730. He served as the Principal of St. Mary's College, St. Andrews, and was a respected figure in the Scottish Presbyterian Church.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Robert Grieve, a Scottish botanist and horticulturist who lived from 1823 to 1888. He authored several influential works on plant life, including the renowned "A Modern Herbal," which was published in 1931.

In the literary world, Christopher Murray Grieve, better known by his pen name Hugh MacDiarmid, was a renowned Scottish poet and cultural activist who lived from 1892 to 1978. He played a significant role in the Scottish Renaissance movement and was a prominent figure in the revival of Scottish literature and culture.

One of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname Grieve is Grieves-town, a small village in Lanarkshire, Scotland, which dates back to the 16th century. The name likely originated from an individual or family with the surname Grieve who resided in or had some connection to the area.

During the 19th century, James Grieve, a Scottish horticulturist and nurseryman, developed and introduced the Grieve's Pippin apple variety. This apple cultivar became popular and was widely grown throughout the United Kingdom and beyond, further cementing the Grieve name in horticultural history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Grieve

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

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

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

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