Green Family History

Green Surname Meaning

English: either a nickname for someone who was fond of dressing in this color (Old English grēne) or was young or immature or who had played the part of the ‘Green Man’ in the May Day celebrations or a topographic name for someone who lived near a village green (Middle English grene, a transferred use of the color term). This is one of the most common and widespread of English surnames. In North America, it has assimilated cognates from other languages notably German Grün (see Gruen) and Dutch Groen; compare 7 below. This surname is also very common among African Americans.

English: alternatively from a Middle English personal name Grene. Irish: adopted for Ó hUainín ‘descendant of Uainín’ a personal name from a pet form of uaine ‘green’ (see Honan). Irish: adopted for Ó Fathaidh or Ó Fathaigh through erroneous association with faithche ‘lawn’ (see Fahey).

German: habitational name from Green (Rhineland-Palatinate) or Greene (Lower Saxony) or a topographic name from Middle Low Saxon grēn ‘grain, sand’ for someone living in a sandy place. Danish: habitational name from placenames beginning with Gre(e)n- like Greene, Grenbole (compare 5 above).

Americanized form of Jewish (Ashkenazic) Grün (see Gruen) or Grin, artificial names meaning ‘green’ in German and Yiddish respectively or a short form of any of numerous compound names with this element.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Gruen, Greene, Groen, Grahn, Greven, Greek, Grein, Graven, Breen, Gren

16 million record(s) for Green

4M	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
494K	Military Records
297K	Immigration Records
3M	Census and Voter Lists
7M	Member Trees

Where is the Green family from?

You can see how Green families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Green family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Green families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 1,332 Green families living in New York. This was about 22% of all the recorded Green's in USA. New York had the highest population of Green families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Green surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Green ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Green. 19% of Green men worked as a Laborer and 10% of Green women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Green were Truck driver and Housewife.

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Laborer

19%

Farmer

14%

Salesman

4%

Truck driver

3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Maid

10%

Cook

6%

Housekeeper

6%

Housewife

5%

What Green family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 3M census records available for the last name Green. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Green census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Passenger List

There are 297K immigration records available for the last name Green. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

Military Records

There are 494K military records available for the last name Green. For the veterans among your Green ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

What is the average Green lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Green life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Green in 1940 was 42, and 73 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Green ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.