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Home › Baby Names Directory › Greer

Greer

♀ Girl

Pronounced GRIHR /ˈɡɹɪɹ/Medium

Meaning: Watchful, alertMedium

In 30 seconds: Greer is a sleek one-syllable English name meaning 'watchful' or 'alert', often worn as both surname and given name.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningWatchful, alert
U.S. rank (2025)#1851 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births108 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year2025
Total births (all-time)≈ 3,085

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 202519412025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

The name carries the sense of watchfulness, and it has long lived as a Scottish-flavored surname before being used as a first name. Its single crisp syllable gives it an unfussy, modern strength. Used for girls, it keeps a cool, understated edge.

The clipped sound makes it stand out among longer, softer girls' names. British-American actress Greer Garson, who won the Best Actress Oscar for Mrs. Miniver, gave the name its most enduring association.

Did you know? Greer likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Greer — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Greer Garson (1904–1996)
    British-American actress; won the Academy Award for Best Actress for 'Mrs. Miniver' (1942) and was a top MGM star of the 1940s.
  • ★Greer Skousen (1916–1988)
    Mexican basketball player who won a bronze medal with Mexico at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics.

If you like Greer…

Blair— Another short, sharp Scottish surname used as a girl's name
Quinn— A comparable crisp one-syllable unisex name
Reese— A similar single-syllable surname turned given name
Sloane— Shares the cool, clipped surname-style feel

Explore names like Greer

By themeenglishsurname-style

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Greer mean?

Greer is usually explained as meaning 'watchful, alert' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Greer?

It's commonly said GRIHR /ˈɡɹɪɹ/.

Is Greer a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Greer is used as a girl name.

How popular is Greer?

In 2024, Greer ranked #1980 in the U.S. for girls, with 99 births recorded.

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