2000
#1,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,653
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.36
Uncommon Last name
Craft
An occupational surname referring to a skilled artisan or tradesperson, such as a woodworker, metalworker, or stonemason.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 34,437 Americans carry the last name Craft. That puts it at #1,148 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,953 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Craft 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 Craft with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 9,953
Census rank
#1,148
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,031 bearers of the surname Craft in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1148th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Craft, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Craft
The surname CRAFT is of English origin, having derived from the Old English word "cræft" meaning "skill" or "ability". This name was originally an occupational surname given to skilled craftsmen or artisans.
Records show that the name was present in England as early as the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Adam le Craft, who was mentioned in the Assize Court Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1260.
The surname CRAFT is also found in various historical documents from medieval times, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273 which listed a Roger Craft from Oxfordshire. Another early record is that of William Craft, whose name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
As the surname spread across England, it took on various spellings such as Crafte, Craffte, and Crafts. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the names.
One notable figure in history who bore this surname was John Craft (c. 1515-1587), an English Protestant clergyman and writer. He was a notable figure during the Reformation and served as the Archdeacon of Winchester.
Another individual of note was Thomas Craft (1677-1753), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several important projects in London, including the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire of 1666.
In the literary world, William Craft (1824-1900) was an American writer and abolitionist who gained fame for his autobiographical work "Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom" which detailed his and his wife's daring escape from slavery in Georgia.
Mary Agnes Craft (1839-1905) was a British novelist and children's author, best known for her works such as "A Daughter of the Soil" and "The Wyndham Girls".
The surname CRAFT has also been found in various place names across England, such as Crafthole in Cornwall and Crafton in Yorkshire, both of which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname who resided in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Craft
Among Census respondents with the surname Craft, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Craft 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 Craft surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 23,370
- Black or African American14.6% · 4,380
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,159
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 818
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 178
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 126
Timeline
Historical Census data for Craft
Craft 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
#1,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,452
+799 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 10.66
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#1,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,031
-1,421 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 10.05
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,044 | 30,653 | 11.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,116 | 31,452 | 10.66 | +799 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #1,148 | 30,031 | 10.05 | -1,421 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 32 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 Craft 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 | #1,116 | #1,148 | -2.9% |
| Count | 31,452 | 30,031 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 10.66 | 10.05 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Craft bearers went from 31,452 to 30,031 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,116 to #1,148.
FAQ
Craft surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Craft?
Name Census estimates that about 34,437 living Americans carry the surname Craft. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,953 residents.
How common is Craft?
Craft ranks #1,148 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,031 people with the surname Craft. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (34,437), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Craft.
Has Craft become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Craft went from 31,452 recorded bearers to 30,031. That is a decrease of 1,421 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,116 to #1,148.
What does the Census say about the background of Craft?
Among Census respondents with the surname Craft, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Craft in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (23,370 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Craft appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (14.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Craft (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 Craft mean?
An occupational surname referring to a skilled artisan or tradesperson, such as a woodworker, metalworker, or stonemason. 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 Craft (10.05 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 have the surname Craft?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.