Crispus
Of Latin origin, meaning "curly-haired".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Crispus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Crispus today is around 55 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Crispus births was 1975 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Crispus. 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 Crispus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1975
7 babies that year
Average age
55
years old
1975 SSA rank
#4,403
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Crispus: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Crispus 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 Crispus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Crispus
The name Crispus has its origins in ancient Rome, derived from the Latin word "crispus," which means "curly" or "curled." It likely originated as a nickname or cognomen given to individuals with curly hair during the Roman era.
The earliest recorded use of the name Crispus dates back to the 4th century AD, when it was borne by Crispus Caesar, the son of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great and his first wife, Minervina. Crispus was a respected military commander who was tragically executed by his own father in 326 AD under mysterious circumstances.
Another prominent historical figure with the name Crispus was Crispus of Chalcedon, a Christian philosopher and theologian who lived in the 5th century AD. He was a disciple of the Neoplatonist philosopher Proclus and played a significant role in the development of Christian Neoplatonism.
In the 16th century, the name Crispus was revived during the Protestant Reformation as a form of the name Crispin, which was derived from the Latin name Crispinus. One notable bearer of the name was Crispus Attucks, an African-American man who was the first casualty of the American Revolutionary War, killed in the Boston Massacre of 1770.
Another historical figure with the name Crispus was Crispus Myghell, a Dutch Catholic priest and missionary who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as a missionary in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) and is known for his efforts to convert the local population to Christianity.
In the 18th century, Crispus Sheffeigh was an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theological and philosophical subjects. He was also involved in the debate surrounding the issue of slavery and advocated for its abolition.
While the name Crispus has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been borne by a number of notable individuals across various fields, reflecting its enduring legacy and connection to ancient Roman roots.
People
Crispus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Crispus 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
Crispus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Crispus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Crispus 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Crispus a common name?
We classify Crispus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Crispus most popular?
The single biggest year for Crispus was 1975, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Crispus is about 55 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 Crispus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Crispus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Crispus 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 Crispus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Crispus 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 Crispus 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 have Crispus as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Crispus, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.