Explore the Family Name Griego

The meaning of Griego

Spanish: ethnic name from griego ‘Greek’ (from Latin Graecus). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Manuel, Carlos, Orlando, Juan, Jose, Alfonso, Ruben, Leandro, Mario, Armando, Benito, Celestino.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Griego in the United States?

The surname Griego has maintained a relatively consistent level of popularity in the United States over the past decade, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, Griego was ranked as the 4,164th most common surname, represented by approximately 7,883 individuals or 2.92 out of every 100,000 people in the U.S. By 2010, the surname had slid slightly to the 4,192nd position, with an increased count of 8,456 individuals, representing a minor decrease in proportion per 100,000 to 2.87. The overall change in the popularity of the surname Griego between 2000 and 2010 was a minimal decline of 0.67%.

20002010Change
Rank#4,164#4,192-0.67%
Count7,8838,4567.27%
Proportion per 100k2.922.87-1.71%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Griego

Data from the Decennial U.S. Census also provides insight into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Griego. In both 2000 and 2010, the majority of individuals with this surname identified as Hispanic — 84.16% and 83.62% respectively. However, there was a slight increase in those identifying as White from 13.29% in 2000 to 14.56% in 2010. Other ethnic identities, such as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native, were represented in significantly smaller proportions. Notably, there was a substantial decrease of 55.91% in those identifying with two or more races.

20002010Change
Hispanic84.16%83.62%-0.64%
White13.29%14.56%9.56%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.01%0.78%-22.77%
Two or More Races0.93%0.41%-55.91%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.39%0.39%0%
Black0.22%0.24%9.09%

Griego ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Griego is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 36.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Indigenous American (23.4%) and British & Irish (18.5%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Eastern European, Italian, Scandinavian, and Filipino & Austronesian.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Spanish & Portuguese36.9%
Indigenous American23.4%
British & Irish18.5%
Other21.2%
Griego

Possible origins of the surname Griego

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Griego have recent ancestry locations all within Mexico.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Guanajuato, Mexico75.30%
Puebla, Mexico75.30%
Coahuila, Mexico75.30%
Chihuahua, Mexico75.30%
Jalisco, Mexico75.30%

What Griego haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Griego is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-CTS5966 and J-M92, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Arellano, Gomez, Garcia, Romero, Heredia, Castro, Diaz, Fierro, Leon, Gamboa.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Griego surname are: A2, H, B2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

griegoPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Americans

Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Griego have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Griego

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Griego" Surname 28.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Griego

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Griego" Surname 24.4%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Griego

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Griego" Surname 22.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Griego

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Griego" Surname 17.4%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Griego?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Griego are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Spanish & Portuguese 56.3%

23andMe Users 57.2%