2000
#7,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,841
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.42
Rare Last name
Crandell
Derived from a place name meaning "crane valley" or "crane hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,348 Americans carry the last name Crandell. That puts it at #8,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,830 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crandell 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 78,830
Census rank
#8,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,792 bearers of the surname Crandell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crandell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crandell
The surname Crandell originated in England during the medieval era, derived from the Old English words "cran" meaning "crane" and "dell" meaning "valley" or "meadow." It was likely an occupational surname given to someone who lived in a valley frequented by cranes or worked with these birds.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Crandell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Crandala." This suggests that the name was already established in certain parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name was sometimes spelled "Craundelle" or "Crandelle," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that period. Records from the 14th century show the name appearing as "Crandall" and "Crandell," which are closer to the modern spelling.
Notable individuals with the surname Crandell include William Crandell (1633-1718), one of the earliest settlers in Westerly, Rhode Island, and a prominent figure in the colonial history of that region. Another prominent Crandell was John Crandell (1782-1858), a successful merchant and landowner in upstate New York.
In the United Kingdom, the name Crandell has been associated with places like Crandell Park in Staffordshire and Crandell Manor in Somerset, both of which were likely named after individuals bearing the surname.
Other notable Crandells throughout history include Samuel Crandell (1802-1873), a American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York; and Mary Crandell (1857-1928), an American writer and activist involved in the women's suffrage movement.
While not as common as some other surnames, the name Crandell has a long and interesting history, with roots that can be traced back to medieval England and a connection to the natural world through its original meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crandell
Among Census respondents with the surname Crandell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Crandell 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 Crandell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 3,063
- Black or African American9.4% · 355
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 176
- Two or more races3.6% · 138
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crandell
Crandell 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
#7,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,141
+300 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement No rank change
2020
#8,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,792
-349 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 374 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,983 | 3,841 | 1.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,983 | 4,141 | 1.40 | +300 bearers (+7.8%) | No rank change |
| 2020 | #8,357 | 3,792 | 1.27 | -349 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 374 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 Crandell 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 | #7,983 | #8,357 | -4.7% |
| Count | 4,141 | 3,792 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.27 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crandell bearers went from 4,141 to 3,792 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 374 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,983 to #8,357.
FAQ
Crandell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crandell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,348 living Americans carry the surname Crandell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,830 residents.
How common is Crandell?
Crandell ranks #8,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,792 people with the surname Crandell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,348), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Crandell.
Has Crandell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crandell went from 4,141 recorded bearers to 3,792. That is a decrease of 349 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,983 to #8,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Crandell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crandell, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Crandell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (3,063 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crandell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Black (9.4%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Crandell (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 Crandell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "crane valley" or "crane hill" in Old English. 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 Crandell (1.27 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 Crandell?
Want to know how many people have the last name Crandell? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.