2000
#1,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,457
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.44
Uncommon Last name
Gregg
A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the given name Gregory, meaning "watchful" or "alert."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,583 Americans carry the last name Gregg. That puts it at #1,442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gregg 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 Gregg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,426
Census rank
#1,442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,054 bearers of the surname Gregg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gregg, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gregg
The surname Gregg originates from Scotland and is derived from the Old English name Grig, which means "watchful" or "vigilant". The earliest recorded spelling of the name is believed to be Gregg, found in a Scottish census document from the year 1296.
The name Gregg is thought to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. It is believed to have evolved from the Gaelic name "Griogair", which was later anglicized to "Gregor" and eventually "Gregg".
In the Domesday Book, a record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086, there are no recorded instances of the surname Gregg. However, the name is mentioned in various other historical records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries in Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gregg is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of documents recording the submission of Scottish noblemen to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, a "William Gregg" is listed as a tenant in the county of Ayr.
Another notable early bearer of the surname Gregg was John Gregg, a Scottish clergyman who lived in the 16th century and served as the Bishop of Dunkeld from 1554 to 1563.
In the 17th century, a family of Greggs was established in Northumberland, England, with the earliest recorded member being Robert Gregg, who was born around 1620 in Warkworth, Northumberland.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Gregg was Samuel Gregg (1735-1788), an American Revolutionary War soldier and statesman who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.
Another notable Gregg was John Gregg (1806-1888), an American educator and author who developed the Gregg shorthand system, a widely used method of shorthand writing.
Other notable individuals with the surname Gregg include:
1. Percy Gregg (1866-1925), an English cricketer who played for Middlesex County Cricket Club.
2. Willa Gregg (1877-1952), an American author and poet known for her works on Native American culture.
3. David Gregg (1834-1916), a Union Army general during the American Civil War.
4. Norma Gregg (1894-1989), an Australian opera singer and actress who performed extensively in Europe and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gregg
Among Census respondents with the surname Gregg, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gregg 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 Gregg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 19,200
- Black or African American10.5% · 2,522
- Two or more races3.8% · 904
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 893
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 375
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 160
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gregg
Gregg 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
#1,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,554
+97 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 8.66
Rank movement Down 119 places
2020
#1,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,054
-1,500 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 8.05
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,267 | 25,457 | 9.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,386 | 25,554 | 8.66 | +97 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 119 places |
| 2020 | #1,442 | 24,054 | 8.05 | -1,500 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 56 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 Gregg 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 | #1,386 | #1,442 | -4.0% |
| Count | 25,554 | 24,054 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.66 | 8.05 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gregg bearers went from 25,554 to 24,054 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,386 to #1,442.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gregg
FAQ
Gregg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gregg?
Name Census estimates that about 27,583 living Americans carry the surname Gregg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,426 residents.
How common is Gregg?
Gregg ranks #1,442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,054 people with the surname Gregg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,583), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Gregg.
Has Gregg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gregg went from 25,554 recorded bearers to 24,054. That is a decrease of 1,500 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,386 to #1,442.
What does the Census say about the background of Gregg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gregg, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Gregg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (19,200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gregg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Black (10.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Gregg (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 Gregg mean?
A surname of Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the given name Gregory, meaning "watchful" or "alert." 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 Gregg (8.05 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 Americans have the surname Gregg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.