2000
#8,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,700
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Cram
An English occupational surname referring to a merchant or seller of wares.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,006 Americans carry the last name Cram. That puts it at #8,987 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cram 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 Cram with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,560
Census rank
#8,987
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,493 bearers of the surname Cram in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8987th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cram, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cram
The surname CRAM has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 12th century as a variant spelling of the Old English word "cræm", meaning a small trading booth or stall. The name likely referred to an individual who operated a trading stall or market booth.
CRAM is thought to have originated in the county of Somerset, where early records show the name appearing in various forms, including Crame, Cramme, and Crayme. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Crame, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1194.
During the Middle Ages, the surname CRAM began to spread to other parts of England, including London, where it is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1292. In these early records, the name is often found with various spellings, reflecting the inconsistencies of medieval English orthography.
The name CRAM is not found in the Domesday Book of 1086, as it had not yet emerged at that time. However, it is possible that the name is derived from a place name that was recorded in the Domesday survey, such as Crambe in Yorkshire or Cramlington in Northumberland.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Cram, who was born in Somerset around 1350. In the 15th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Bristol, where a Thomas Cram is mentioned in 1467.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname CRAM, including:
1. Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942), an American architect and writer known for his Gothic Revival style buildings.
2. George Franklin Cram (1842-1928), an American publisher and founder of the George F. Cram Company, which produced atlases and maps.
3. William Everett Cram (1871-1948), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 34th Governor of Massachusetts from 1923 to 1925.
4. James M. Cram (1847-1928), an American politician and businessman who served as the Mayor of Lockport, New York, in the late 19th century.
5. Mildred Cram (1889-1985), an American writer and educator who published several books on gardening and horticulture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cram
Among Census respondents with the surname Cram, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cram 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 Cram surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 3,153
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 138
- Two or more races3.8% · 131
- Black or African American1.1% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cram
Cram 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
#8,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,662
-38 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 700 places
2020
#8,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,493
-169 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,239 | 3,700 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,939 | 3,662 | 1.24 | -38 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 700 places |
| 2020 | #8,987 | 3,493 | 1.17 | -169 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 48 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 Cram 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 | #8,939 | #8,987 | -0.5% |
| Count | 3,662 | 3,493 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.17 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cram bearers went from 3,662 to 3,493 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,939 to #8,987.
FAQ
Cram surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cram?
Name Census estimates that about 4,006 living Americans carry the surname Cram. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,560 residents.
How common is Cram?
Cram ranks #8,987 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,493 people with the surname Cram. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,006), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Cram.
Has Cram become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cram went from 3,662 recorded bearers to 3,493. That is a decrease of 169 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,939 to #8,987.
What does the Census say about the background of Cram?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cram, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Cram in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (3,153 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cram appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Cram (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 Cram mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a merchant or seller of wares. 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 Cram (1.17 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 common is the surname Cram?
You can see how many people are called Cram on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.