Cressa
A feminine name of uncertain meaning and origin.
Name Census estimates that about 35 living Americans carry the first name Cressa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cressa today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cressa births was 1975 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cressa. 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 Cressa. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
35
~ 1 in 9,792,981 Americans
Peak year
1975
7 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2008 SSA rank
#15,839
Tracked since 1948
Census
Cressa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 143 people with the first name Cressa, which placed it at #46,519 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#46,519
National first-name rank
People counted
143
143 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
81.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cressa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cressa is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cressa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cressa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 116
- Black or African American5.6% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 5
- Two or more races3.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Popularity
Cressa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cressa from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 20 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cressa 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 Cressa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cressa
The name Cressa finds its origins in the ancient Greek language, with roots dating back to the 5th century BCE. Derived from the Greek word "kresso," meaning "to excel" or "to surpass," the name Cressa was initially used to signify strength, excellence, and achievement.
During the Classical period of ancient Greece, the name Cressa gained prominence as a feminine form of the name Cressus, which was borne by several notable historical figures. One such figure was Cressus of Cyrene, a 6th-century BCE philosopher and mathematician renowned for his contributions to the field of geometry.
Cressa also appeared in several ancient Greek texts and literary works, including the epic poems of Homer. In the Iliad, Cressa was the name of a minor character, a servant to the Trojan princess Andromache. This literary reference further solidified the name's association with the ancient Greek world.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Cressa date back to the 4th century BCE, with inscriptions found on various archaeological artifacts and stone carvings. One notable bearer of the name was Cressa of Cyrene, a 3rd-century BCE philosopher and mathematician who followed in the footsteps of her namesake, Cressus of Cyrene.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have carried the name Cressa. In the 2nd century CE, Cressa of Antioch was a renowned Christian martyr who faced persecution for her faith during the reign of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Her unwavering devotion and courage made her a revered figure in early Christian history.
During the Byzantine era, Cressa Palaiologina was a prominent noblewoman and courtier who lived in the 14th century. She was renowned for her diplomatic skills and played a pivotal role in securing alliances between the Byzantine Empire and neighboring states.
In the realm of literature, Cressa Hawkes was a celebrated English writer and poet who lived from 1925 to 2009. Her works explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition, earning her critical acclaim and numerous literary awards.
Lastly, Cressa Nicholson was a pioneering American aviator who lived from 1923 to 2015. She made history as one of the first female pilots in the United States Air Force and paved the way for women's involvement in aviation and military service.
People
Cressa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cressa 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
Cressa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cressa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 35 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cressa 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 9,792,981 US residents.
Is Cressa a common name?
We classify Cressa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cressa most popular?
The single biggest year for Cressa was 1975, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cressa is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cressa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 143 people with the name Cressa, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #46,519 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cressa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cressa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cressa appears almost entirely female. Of the 139 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cressa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cressa is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cressa most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cressa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (116 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Cressa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cressa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cressa in the SSA data are female. 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 Cressa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cressa 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 Cressa 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.
How many people share the name Cressa?
Find out how many people have the name Cressa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.