How common is the surname Greer?

57,043 people in the United States had the surname Greer in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,413 Americans. It ranked 590th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Greer?

Germaine Greer, Australian writer and public intellectual (born 1939), followed by Judy Greer.

Where is the surname Greer most common?

Wikidata records people named Greer in the United States, Australia and Ireland and 1 other country.

Is the surname Greer getting more or less common?

More common. 54,611 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 57,043 in 2010, up 4.5%.

Is Greer also a first name?

Yes. Greer is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Greer

A Scottish patronymic surname, carried by 57,043 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex G660 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Greer is more common than 99.6% of them.

Origin

Scottish origin

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

Greer is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 57,043 people named Greer in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 5,413 Americans. That is up 4.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 54,611.

#590

rank among US surnames

57,043

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.5%

change since 2000 (was #552)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#581	Arias	57,477	5,372
#583	Mora	57,464	5,373
#584	Valenzuela	57,383	5,380
#585	Bryan	57,143	5,403
#586	Meyers	57,127	5,405
#587	Weiss	57,112	5,406
#588	Underwood	57,064	5,411

Who is named Greer

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

73% of people named Greer identified as white (not Hispanic), 21% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Greers

17 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Germaine Greer
Australian writer and public intellectual (born 1939)
Judy Greer
American actress, born 1975
Jane Greer
American actress (1924–2001)
Hal Greer
American basketball player (1936–2018)
Steven M. Greer
American ufologist, born 1955
Dabbs Greer
American actor (1917−2007)
Andrew Sean Greer
American novelist and short story writer, born 1970
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, born 1952

Notable Greers come mostly from the United States (14), Australia (1) and Ireland (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Grier

Surnames that sound like Greer

Greer has the Soundex code G660, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code G660.

Questions

Where does the surname Greer come from?: Greer is Scottish in origin.
How common is the surname Greer?: 57,043 people in the United States had the surname Greer in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,413 Americans. It ranked 590th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Greer?: In the 2010 Census, 73% of people named Greer identified as white (not Hispanic), and 21% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Greer?: Germaine Greer, Australian writer and public intellectual (born 1939), followed by Judy Greer.
Where is the surname Greer most common?: Wikidata records people named Greer in the United States, Australia and Ireland and 1 other country.
What type of surname is Greer?: Greer is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Greer getting more or less common?: More common. 54,611 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 57,043 in 2010, up 4.5%.
What are other spellings of Greer?: Grier.
Is Greer also a first name?: Yes. Greer is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.