Green Family History

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.