2000
#13,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Grieve
A Scottish and northern English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or thicket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,225 Americans carry the last name Grieve. That puts it at #14,695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,047 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grieve 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 Grieve with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 154,047
Census rank
#14,695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,940 bearers of the surname Grieve in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grieve, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grieve
The surname Grieve originated from the northern regions of England and Scotland during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "greve," which means a feudal officer or bailiff. The name likely arose as an occupational surname for someone who held this type of administrative position.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "le Greve." This suggests that the name was already established in northern England by the 13th century. Additionally, there are references to individuals with the surname Grieve in various Scottish records from the 15th and 16th centuries.
The name Grieve has been connected to several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Grieve, a Scottish clergyman and academic who lived from 1670 to 1730. He served as the Principal of St. Mary's College, St. Andrews, and was a respected figure in the Scottish Presbyterian Church.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Robert Grieve, a Scottish botanist and horticulturist who lived from 1823 to 1888. He authored several influential works on plant life, including the renowned "A Modern Herbal," which was published in 1931.
In the literary world, Christopher Murray Grieve, better known by his pen name Hugh MacDiarmid, was a renowned Scottish poet and cultural activist who lived from 1892 to 1978. He played a significant role in the Scottish Renaissance movement and was a prominent figure in the revival of Scottish literature and culture.
One of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname Grieve is Grieves-town, a small village in Lanarkshire, Scotland, which dates back to the 16th century. The name likely originated from an individual or family with the surname Grieve who resided in or had some connection to the area.
During the 19th century, James Grieve, a Scottish horticulturist and nurseryman, developed and introduced the Grieve's Pippin apple variety. This apple cultivar became popular and was widely grown throughout the United Kingdom and beyond, further cementing the Grieve name in horticultural history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grieve
Among Census respondents with the surname Grieve, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Grieve 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 Grieve surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 1,808
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 72
- Two or more races2.0% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grieve
Grieve 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
#14,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,118
+8 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 912 places
2020
#14,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,940
-178 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,266 | 2,110 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,178 | 2,118 | 0.72 | +8 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 912 places |
| 2020 | #14,695 | 1,940 | 0.65 | -178 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 517 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 Grieve 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 | #14,178 | #14,695 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,118 | 1,940 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.65 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grieve bearers went from 2,118 to 1,940 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 517 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,178 to #14,695.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Grieve
FAQ
Grieve surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grieve?
Name Census estimates that about 2,225 living Americans carry the surname Grieve. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,047 residents.
How common is Grieve?
Grieve ranks #14,695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,940 people with the surname Grieve. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,225), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Grieve.
Has Grieve become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grieve went from 2,118 recorded bearers to 1,940. That is a decrease of 178 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,178 to #14,695.
What does the Census say about the background of Grieve?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grieve, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Grieve in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (1,808 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grieve appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Grieve (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 Grieve mean?
A Scottish and northern English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a grove or thicket. 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 Grieve (0.65 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 Grieve?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.