2000
#12,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,239
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Mcgreevy
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mag Riabhaigh, meaning "son of Riabhach," a nickname for a gray-haired or grizzled man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,558 Americans carry the last name Mcgreevy. That puts it at #13,139 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcgreevy 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 Mcgreevy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,993
Census rank
#13,139
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,231 bearers of the surname Mcgreevy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13139th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgreevy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcgreevy
The surname McGreevy originated in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic personal name Grí-ḟa, which means "griffin valor." It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Mac Ghriogóra.
The McGreevy family name is believed to have been first established in County Fermanagh, Ulster Province, in the northern part of Ireland. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 16th century in this region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Tadhg McGreevy, who was born around 1550 in County Fermanagh. He was a prominent landowner and chieftain of the McGreevy clan during the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the McGreevy name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Civil Survey of County Fermanagh, which documented landholdings and property ownership in the area.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the McGreevy family continued to play a significant role in the history of County Fermanagh and the surrounding regions. Notable individuals from this time period include:
1. Patrick McGreevy (1720-1798), a wealthy landowner and member of the Irish Parliament.
2. Edmond McGreevy (1765-1842), a prominent Catholic priest and educator.
3. John McGreevy (1812-1890), a successful businessman and philanthropist in County Fermanagh.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many McGreevy families emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. Some notable individuals from this era include:
1. Thomas McGreevy (1868-1939), a Canadian politician and businessman from Quebec.
2. Mary McGreevy (1872-1955), an Irish-American author and journalist born in County Fermanagh.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the McGreevy surname have emerged, such as McGrivy, McGrivey, and McGreevey. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the Irish Gaelic tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcgreevy
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgreevy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcgreevy 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 Mcgreevy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,082
- Two or more races2.6% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcgreevy
Mcgreevy 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
#13,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,270
+31 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 754 places
2020
#13,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,231
-39 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 288 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,673 | 2,239 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,427 | 2,270 | 0.77 | +31 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 754 places |
| 2020 | #13,139 | 2,231 | 0.75 | -39 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 288 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 Mcgreevy 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 | #13,427 | #13,139 | 2.1% |
| Count | 2,270 | 2,231 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.75 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcgreevy bearers went from 2,270 to 2,231 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 288 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,427 to #13,139.
FAQ
Mcgreevy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcgreevy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,558 living Americans carry the surname Mcgreevy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,993 residents.
How common is Mcgreevy?
Mcgreevy ranks #13,139 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,231 people with the surname Mcgreevy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcgreevy.
Has Mcgreevy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcgreevy went from 2,270 recorded bearers to 2,231. That is a decrease of 39 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,427 to #13,139.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcgreevy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcgreevy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcgreevy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,082 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcgreevy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Mcgreevy (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 Mcgreevy mean?
Anglicized form of Gaelic Mag Riabhaigh, meaning "son of Riabhach," a nickname for a gray-haired or grizzled man. 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 Mcgreevy (0.75 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 share the surname Mcgreevy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.