Find out how popular the last name Crank is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Crank.

Crank, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Crank surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Crank in America

Crank is the 7873rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Crank surname appeared 4,204 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Crank.

We can also compare 2010 data for Crank to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Crank

The surname CRANK originated in England in the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cranc", which means "a bend, turn or winding", likely referring to someone who lived near a crooked road or stream. Some early spelling variations of the name include Crank, Cranke, Cranck, and Craunk.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname CRANK can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, where it is listed as "Reginald le Cranke". This suggests that the name was already well-established in the West Midlands region of England by the late medieval period.

In the 14th century, the name CRANK appears in various historical records, such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a "Johannes Cranke" is mentioned. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of northern England by this time.

The CRANK surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a major survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, the exact reference is unclear, as the spelling of names in this document can be ambiguous.

Notable individuals with the surname CRANK include:

1. William Crank (c. 1640-1725), an English Quaker and early settler in Pennsylvania.
2. John Crank (1737-1819), an American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War.
3. Isaac Crank (1789-1858), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Tennessee.
4. James Crank (1824-1896), a Scottish-born Australian engineer and inventor of the Crank friction brake.
5. Andrew Crank (1908-1972), a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament for Northampton from 1945 to 1970.

The CRANK surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Crankhall in Lancashire and Crankley in Northumberland, which may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the name over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Crank

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Crank.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Crank was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Crank has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Crank was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Crank, please contact us.

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