Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Aug. 01, 2016
Document Documentand Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	GHL
Entity Registrant Name	GREENHILL & CO INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001282977
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		29,615,265