2000
#7,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Crafton
A locational surname referring to a person from any of the places named Crafton in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,325 Americans carry the last name Crafton. That puts it at #8,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,250 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crafton 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.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,250
Census rank
#8,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,772 bearers of the surname Crafton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crafton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crafton
The surname Crafton is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It is thought to be derived from Old English words such as "craeft," meaning craft or skill, and "tun," meaning a town or settlement. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a skilled artisan or craftsman residing in a particular town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Crafton" in reference to a place in Yorkshire. This historical record provides evidence of the name's existence in the 11th century and its potential connection to a specific location.
During the medieval period, variations of the name, such as "Craftone" and "Craftun," can be found in various historical documents and records. These spelling variations were common due to the lack of standardized orthography at the time.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Crafton throughout history include:
1. William Crafton (c. 1590-1670), an English merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the settlement of Virginia in the 17th century.
2. John Crafton (1730-1805), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Kentucky.
3. Elizabeth Crafton (1815-1892), a British author and philanthropist known for her work in promoting education and social reform.
4. Samuel Crafton (1868-1941), an English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
5. Grace Crafton (1901-1988), an American artist and sculptor renowned for her abstract works and innovative use of materials.
The surname Crafton has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Crafton in Yorkshire and Crafton Green in Lancashire. These place names may have further contributed to the development and spread of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crafton
Among Census respondents with the surname Crafton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Crafton 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 Crafton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 3,048
- Black or African American11.1% · 417
- Two or more races3.6% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crafton
Crafton 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
#8,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,056
+77 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 462 places
2020
#8,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,772
-284 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 237 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,711 | 3,979 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,173 | 4,056 | 1.38 | +77 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 462 places |
| 2020 | #8,410 | 3,772 | 1.26 | -284 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 237 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 Crafton 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 | #8,173 | #8,410 | -2.9% |
| Count | 4,056 | 3,772 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.26 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crafton bearers went from 4,056 to 3,772 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 237 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,173 to #8,410.
FAQ
Crafton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crafton?
Name Census estimates that about 4,325 living Americans carry the surname Crafton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,250 residents.
How common is Crafton?
Crafton ranks #8,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,772 people with the surname Crafton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,325), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Crafton.
Has Crafton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crafton went from 4,056 recorded bearers to 3,772. That is a decrease of 284 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,173 to #8,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Crafton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crafton, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Crafton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (3,048 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crafton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Black (11.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Crafton (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 Crafton mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from any of the places named Crafton in England. 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 Crafton (1.26 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 last name Crafton?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Crafton is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.