Creigh
A masculine name of Celtic origin meaning "brave" or "courageous".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Creigh. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Creigh today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Creigh births was 1991 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Creigh. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Creigh. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1991
5 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
1991 SSA rank
#8,435
Tracked since 1991
Popularity
Creigh: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Creigh by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Creigh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Creigh
The name Creigh originates from the Scottish Gaelic language and has its roots in the word "creag," which means "rock" or "crag." This name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in Scotland, likely between the 11th and 15th centuries.
The name Creigh was initially associated with individuals who lived near or in areas characterized by rocky landscapes or crags. It may have been used as a descriptive name or as a reference to a specific location.
Historical records suggest that the name Creigh first appeared in written form in the 13th century in Scotland. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Creigh MacGregor, a Scottish clan chief who lived in the late 15th century.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Creigh. One such figure was Creigh Dexter (1680-1748), an American pioneer and one of the founders of the town of Woodstock, Connecticut. Another was Creigh Ton (1786-1859), a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a significant role in the exploration and mapping of the Australian outback.
In the realm of literature, Creigh Buchanan (1823-1898) was a Scottish-American poet and journalist who gained recognition for his works celebrating Scottish culture and heritage. Creigh Millen (1891-1980), an American politician, served as the 34th Governor of Washington from 1945 to 1949.
Creigh Deeds (born 1958) is a contemporary political figure who has served as a member of the Virginia Senate since 2001 and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Virginia in 2009.
While the name Creigh has its origins in Scotland, it has been adopted and used in various parts of the English-speaking world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, it remains relatively uncommon, particularly in modern times.
People
Creigh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Creigh as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Creigh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Creigh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Creigh going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Creigh a common name?
We classify Creigh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Creigh most popular?
The single biggest year for Creigh was 1991, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Creigh is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Creigh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Creigh a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Creigh in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Creigh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Creigh in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Creigh can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Creigh?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.