2000
#1,077
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,666
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.00
Uncommon Last name
Cramer
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to a merchant or shopkeeper who sells small wares.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,642 Americans carry the last name Cramer. That puts it at #1,214 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,500 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cramer 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 Cramer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,500
Census rank
#1,214
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,465 bearers of the surname Cramer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1214th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cramer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cramer
The surname CRAMER has its roots in the Germanic language and is believed to have originated in the region of present-day Germany. It is derived from the Middle High German word "kramære," which means "small trader" or "peddler." This occupation-based surname likely emerged during the Middle Ages when it was common practice to adopt surnames based on one's trade or profession.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CRAMER surname can be found in the Stedinger Census of 1297, a historical document from the region of Stedingen in northwestern Germany. This census lists several individuals with the surname CRAMER, suggesting that the name was already in use by the late 13th century.
The CRAMER surname has also been documented in various other historical records throughout the centuries. For example, the Münster Chronicles, a series of manuscripts dating back to the 15th century, mention a notable figure named Johann CRAMER, who was a merchant and councilman in the city of Münster during the late 1400s.
As the CRAMER surname spread across Europe, it underwent slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. In some regions, it was written as KRAMER, while in others, it appeared as KRAMMER or KRAMÆR. These variations often reflected local dialects and linguistic traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CRAMER surname in England can be found in the 1598 muster roll of the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, which lists a certain William CRAMER as a resident. This suggests that the name had already made its way to England by the late 16th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the CRAMER surname. One such figure was Gabriel CRAMER (1704-1752), a renowned Swiss mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of analysis and probability theory.
Another prominent CRAMER was Johann Baptist CRAMER (1771-1858), a German-born composer and music publisher who was highly influential in the early 19th century. His piano studies, known as the "Cramer Etudes," became a staple in the training of pianists worldwide.
In the realm of literature, Anna Matilda CRAMER (1839-1898) was a notable American author and poet who wrote extensively on religious themes and was a prominent figure in the temperance movement of the late 19th century.
The CRAMER surname has also been associated with the world of sports. One notable example is Ken CRAMER (1940-2021), a former professional baseball player who spent over a decade playing in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for teams such as the Kansas City Athletics and the Milwaukee Brewers.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Hendrik Antoon CRAMER (1817-1891), a Dutch botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the East Indies (present-day Indonesia). His extensive collection of botanical specimens and detailed observations were invaluable to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cramer
Among Census respondents with the surname Cramer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cramer 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 Cramer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 25,750
- Two or more races3.7% · 1,063
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 872
- Black or African American1.4% · 403
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 265
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 112
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cramer
Cramer 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
#1,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,691
+25 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 10.07
Rank movement Down 115 places
2020
#1,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,465
-1,226 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 9.52
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,077 | 29,666 | 11.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,192 | 29,691 | 10.07 | +25 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 115 places |
| 2020 | #1,214 | 28,465 | 9.52 | -1,226 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 22 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 Cramer 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 | #1,192 | #1,214 | -1.8% |
| Count | 29,691 | 28,465 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 10.07 | 9.52 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cramer bearers went from 29,691 to 28,465 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,192 to #1,214.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cramer
FAQ
Cramer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cramer?
Name Census estimates that about 32,642 living Americans carry the surname Cramer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,500 residents.
How common is Cramer?
Cramer ranks #1,214 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.52 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 28,465 people with the surname Cramer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,642), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.52 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 Cramer.
Has Cramer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cramer went from 29,691 recorded bearers to 28,465. That is a decrease of 1,226 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,192 to #1,214.
What does the Census say about the background of Cramer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cramer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Cramer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (25,750 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cramer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Cramer (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 Cramer mean?
A German and Dutch occupational surname referring to a merchant or shopkeeper who sells small 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 Cramer (9.52 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 Americans have the surname Cramer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.