Greiner
A German surname originally used for a grumbler, weeper, or quarrelsome person.
The #3,978 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,555 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Greiner is a German nickname surname. The historical German word *greinen* meant to cry, whine, or grumble, so the name likely began as a label for someone thought to be fretful, plaintive, or quarrelsome. Older sources also gloss it as a kind of “hassle-seeker” or troublemaker, which fits the same broad idea.
History
The surname is well established in German-speaking areas and appears in many spelling forms influenced by local dialect and record-keeping. It later spread beyond Germany through migration to North America and elsewhere. In some cases it may also reflect older bynames attached to a person’s temperament rather than a family occupation or place of origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A medieval nickname source recorded an epithet for Eberhard of Württemberg as “der Greiner,” showing how personal character labels could become hereditary surnames.
From the historical record
“tende, und das Mittelalter war darin durchaus nicht blöde. So hieß Kaiser Wenzel der „Faule", Landgraf Ludwig von Thüringen der „Unartige", Eberhard von Württemberg der „Greiner", d.i. Händelsucher. ^ Zu diesem Zwecke werden zunächst und am einfachsten verwendet Eigenschaftswörter selbst, die mit dem Artikel dem…”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen