Greco
An Italian surname meaning “the Greek” or “the Greek man.”
The #2,110 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,003 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Greco is the Italian word for “Greek,” ultimately from Latin Graecus. As a surname, it likely began as an ethnic label for someone of Greek origin or someone associated with Greeks, Greek speech, or the Greek world. In some cases it may also have been used more loosely for a foreigner from the eastern Mediterranean.
History
This is a very common surname in southern Italy, especially in areas with long Greek and Byzantine influence. It also appears in the wider Italian diaspora, including the United States, where many bearers descend from Italian immigrants. A famous bearer was the 16th-century chess master Gioachino Greco.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is the same word as the Italian adjective for “Greek,” so its meaning is very transparent compared with many other surnames.
From the historical record
“French names of Germanic origin, e.g. William, Robert, Richard, or Biblical names, e.g. John, Thomas, Peter, of Greco-Latin or Eastern origin, and generally in- troduced in a French form. Nomenclature thus made a fresh start, and this start falls within historic and well-documented times. Practically all our…”
— Surnames