2000
#89,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Craford
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "crevice ford" or "ford by a crack or crevice".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Craford. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Craford surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Craford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Craford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Craford, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Craford
The surname CRAFORD is believed to have originated in Scotland during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from an Old English word meaning "ford" or "crossing," combined with the Scottish word "crag," meaning a steep rock or cliff. This suggests that the name referred to a person who lived near a ford or crossing at the base of a crag or rocky outcrop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CRAFORD can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners and nobles who were forced to swear allegiance to King Edward I of England. In this document, the name appears as "Craufurd," which was likely an early spelling variation.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the CRAFORD family gained prominence in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. Several members of the family were noted for their military service and loyalty to the Scottish crown.
One notable figure from this time was Sir Reginald Craford of Loudoun, who was knighted for his bravery in the Battle of Otterburn in 1388. Another was Sir Hugh Craford, who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence in the early 14th century.
In the 16th century, the CRAFORD name began to spread to other parts of the British Isles, including England and Ireland. One famous bearer of the name was the English poet and playwright Thomas Craford (c. 1545-1612), who was renowned for his satirical works and plays.
As the name evolved over time, various spelling variations emerged, including Crawford, Crauford, and Crafford. In the 17th century, a branch of the family settled in County Donegal, Ireland, where they became known as the Crawfords of Lougheske.
Another notable figure was Sir William Craford (1676-1742), a Scottish politician and judge who served as Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland. He was renowned for his legal expertise and played a significant role in shaping Scottish law during the early 18th century.
The CRAFORD surname continued to be prominent in Scotland throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, with several members of the family achieving success in various fields, including politics, academia, and the military.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Craford
Among Census respondents with the surname Craford, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Craford bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Craford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.7% · 75
- Black or African American20.7% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Craford
Craford appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#95,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 190
-1 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,060 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-74 bearers (-38.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 49,073 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #89,895 | 191 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #95,955 | 190 | 0.06 | -1 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 6,060 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -74 bearers (-38.9%) | Down 49,073 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Craford surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #95,955 | #145,028 | -51.1% |
| Count | 190 | 116 | -38.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.04 | -35.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Craford bearers went from 190 to 116 (-38.9% change). The surname moved down 49,073 positions in the national ranking, going from #95,955 to #145,028.
FAQ
Craford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Craford?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Craford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Craford?
Craford ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Craford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Craford.
Has Craford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Craford went from 190 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 74 (-38.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #95,955 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Craford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Craford, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.7%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (6.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Craford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.7% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Craford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.7%), Black (20.7%), Hispanic (6.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Craford (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Craford mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "crevice ford" or "ford by a crack or crevice". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Craford (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Craford?
Want to know how many people have the last name Craford? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.