2000
#848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.76
Uncommon Last name
Crane
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as an operator of a lifting crane.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,945 Americans carry the last name Crane. That puts it at #935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,172 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crane 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 Crane with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,172
Census rank
#935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,578 bearers of the surname Crane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crane, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crane
The surname Crane is derived from the Old English word 'cran' or 'cran-oc', meaning 'crane' – the large wading bird. This name originated as a nickname for someone thought to have had a physical resemblance to the crane or who walked in a similar manner. It likely arose in various parts of England during the medieval period.
The earliest known record of the surname Crane dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Crana' and 'Crane'. One of the first recorded instances is that of Walter Crane, who held lands in Suffolk in the late 12th century.
Another early bearer of the name was Robert Crane, a prominent merchant and alderman of London, who lived from around 1260 to 1325. He is mentioned in several historical records of the time.
Sir Francis Crane (1579-1636) was an English merchant, politician, and renowned patron of the arts. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1623 and was a prominent figure in the Virginia Company, which established the first English settlements in North America.
Walter Crane (1845-1915) was a renowned English artist, book illustrator, and children's book writer. He is best known for his beautifully illustrated editions of classic fairy tales and nursery rhymes.
Stephen Crane (1871-1900) was an American novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist. His most famous works include 'The Red Badge of Courage' and the short story 'The Open Boat'. He is considered one of the most influential writers of the late 19th century.
The surname Crane has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Cranbrook in Kent, Cranfield in Bedfordshire, and Cranmore in Somerset, reflecting its widespread use and distribution across the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crane
Among Census respondents with the surname Crane, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Crane 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 Crane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 31,622
- Black or African American4.4% · 1,601
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,530
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,289
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 270
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 266
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crane
Crane 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
#916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,870
+747 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 12.84
Rank movement Down 68 places
2020
#935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,578
-1,292 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 12.24
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #848 | 37,123 | 13.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #916 | 37,870 | 12.84 | +747 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 68 places |
| 2020 | #935 | 36,578 | 12.24 | -1,292 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 19 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 Crane 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 | #916 | #935 | -2.1% |
| Count | 37,870 | 36,578 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 12.84 | 12.24 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crane bearers went from 37,870 to 36,578 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #916 to #935.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Crane
FAQ
Crane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crane?
Name Census estimates that about 41,945 living Americans carry the surname Crane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,172 residents.
How common is Crane?
Crane ranks #935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,578 people with the surname Crane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,945), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Crane.
Has Crane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crane went from 37,870 recorded bearers to 36,578. That is a decrease of 1,292 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #916 to #935.
What does the Census say about the background of Crane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crane, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Crane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (31,622 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Crane (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 Crane mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked as an operator of a lifting crane. 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 Crane (12.24 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 Crane?
Want to know how many people have the surname Crane? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.