2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cralley
A variant spelling of the Scottish surname Crolly, derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the small crook or bend."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Cralley. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cralley 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Cralley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cralley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.7%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cralley
The surname Cralley is believed to have originated in Ireland, deriving from the Irish Gaelic words "crà" meaning "saffron" and "leath" meaning "half" or "side." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or was associated with a saffron field or plantation. The earliest known records of the name date back to the 16th century in County Donegal, Ireland.
In the 17th century, the Cralley name appeared in the Hearth Money Rolls of Connacht, which were tax records compiled between 1662 and 1665. These rolls provide valuable insights into the distribution and prevalence of surnames during that time period.
One notable figure bearing the Cralley surname was John Cralley, born in County Donegal in 1785. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the early 19th century, and his name can be found in various property records and business directories from that era.
Another historically significant individual was Mary Cralley, born in 1832 in County Tyrone, Ireland. She was a respected teacher and advocate for women's education, establishing several schools in the region and promoting literacy among underprivileged communities.
In the late 19th century, the Cralley name appeared in the Slater's Directory of Ireland, a comprehensive trade directory that listed individuals and businesses throughout the country. This directory serves as a valuable resource for tracing the geographical spread and occupations of Cralley families during that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cralley name in North America can be found in the passenger lists of the ship "Mayflower," which arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1845. Among the passengers was a family of Cralleys hailing from County Donegal, seeking new opportunities in the United States.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, several notable individuals bore the Cralley surname, including Patrick Cralley, a prominent Irish-American politician in New York City, born in 1852, and William Cralley, a celebrated author and journalist born in Dublin in 1875.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cralley
Among Census respondents with the surname Cralley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.7%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cralley 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 Cralley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.5% · 85
- Two or more races10.7% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cralley
Cralley 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,212 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-12 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,041 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,212 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 10,041 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 Cralley 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 | #144,141 | #154,182 | -7.0% |
| Count | 115 | 103 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cralley bearers went from 115 to 103 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 10,041 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #154,182.
FAQ
Cralley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cralley?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Cralley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Cralley?
Cralley ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Cralley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Cralley.
Has Cralley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cralley went from 115 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Cralley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cralley, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.7%) and Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Cralley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.5% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cralley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.5%), Two or More Races (10.7%), Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Cralley (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 Cralley mean?
A variant spelling of the Scottish surname Crolly, derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the small crook or bend." 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 Cralley (0.03 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 share the surname Cralley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.