# Greer (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/greer/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A patronymic Scottish surname from Scots Gregor (“Gregory”).

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 57,043 |
| US rank (2010) | 590 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,413 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.5% (54,611 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Grier |

## Who carries it

Share of people named Greer in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 73% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 21% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Greer in the United States, Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

## People named Greer

- Germaine Greer, Australian writer and public intellectual (born 1939)
- Judy Greer, American actress
- Jane Greer, American actress (1924–2001)
- Hal Greer, American basketball player (1936–2018)
- Steven M. Greer, American ufologist
- Dabbs Greer, American actor (1917−2007)
- Andrew Sean Greer, American novelist and short story writer
- Frank Greer, American rower (1879-1943)
- Breaux Greer, American athletics competitor (born 1976)
- Lynn Greer, American basketball player (born 1979)
- Sonny Greer, American jazz drummer (1895–1982)
- Billy Greer, American musician

and 5 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Grier, Grear, Greear, Grayer, Guerrero, Guerrier, Guerriero, Guerrera.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.