2000
#10,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,669
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Greenspan
A Jewish surname likely referring to someone who lived near a grassy area or sold vegetables.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,806 Americans carry the last name Greenspan. That puts it at #12,157 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Greenspan 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.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,151
Census rank
#12,157
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,447 bearers of the surname Greenspan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12157th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenspan, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Greenspan
The surname Greenspan originated in England during the late Middle Ages. It is believed to derive from a combination of the Old English words "grene" meaning green and "span" meaning a small piece of land or plot. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on a small green area or open space.
One of the earliest known recordings of the name dates back to 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a Robert Grenespanne was listed. Variant spellings from this era include Grenespane, Grenespan, and Grenesspanne. The name was also found in various Yorkshire records from the 14th century.
In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct mentions of Greenspan, but there are references to people with similar surnames like Grenewude and Greneville, indicating the name's origins may go back further.
Notable historical figures with the surname Greenspan include John Greenspan, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 16th century. Another early bearer was Reverend William Greenspan (1592-1670), a Puritan minister and author from Oxfordshire.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name appeared in various parish records across England, often associated with rural areas and villages. Some examples include Thomas Greenspan (1635-1712) from Hartfield, Sussex, and Elizabeth Greenspan (born 1743) from Wiltshire.
One of the most famous Greenspans was the American economist Alan Greenspan (1926-present), who served as the Chair of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. Other notable individuals include the British artist Elaine Greenspan (1932-2020) and the American author Alan Greenspan (1928-2018).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Greenspan
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenspan, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Greenspan 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 Greenspan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 2,310
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 54
- Two or more races1.6% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 23
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Greenspan
Greenspan 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
#11,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,737
+68 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 556 places
2020
#12,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,447
-290 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 660 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,941 | 2,669 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,497 | 2,737 | 0.93 | +68 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 556 places |
| 2020 | #12,157 | 2,447 | 0.82 | -290 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 660 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 Greenspan 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 | #11,497 | #12,157 | -5.7% |
| Count | 2,737 | 2,447 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.82 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Greenspan bearers went from 2,737 to 2,447 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 660 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,497 to #12,157.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Greenspan
FAQ
Greenspan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Greenspan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,806 living Americans carry the surname Greenspan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,151 residents.
How common is Greenspan?
Greenspan ranks #12,157 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,447 people with the surname Greenspan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Greenspan.
Has Greenspan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Greenspan went from 2,737 recorded bearers to 2,447. That is a decrease of 290 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,497 to #12,157.
What does the Census say about the background of Greenspan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Greenspan, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Greenspan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (2,310 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Greenspan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Greenspan (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 Greenspan mean?
A Jewish surname likely referring to someone who lived near a grassy area or sold vegetables. 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 Greenspan (0.82 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 common is the surname Greenspan?
See how many people have the last name Greenspan on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.