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

Crankshaw, 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 Crankshaw surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Crankshaw in America

Crankshaw is the 45653rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Crankshaw surname appeared 468 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Crankshaw.

We can also compare 2010 data for Crankshaw 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 Crankshaw

The surname Crankshaw is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the northern counties of England during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Crankshaw, which was likely a small hamlet or a farmstead.

The name Crankshaw is thought to be composed of two Old English elements: "cranc," which means "a bend or a winding," and "sceaga," meaning "a small wood or grove." This suggests that the original place name referred to a wooded area with winding paths or a curved shape.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Crankshaw can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated around 1170, where it appears as "Crancheshaw." This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various historical records, such as the Feet of Fines for Lancashire in 1246, where it is listed as "Crankeshawe." This indicates that the surname was well-established in the northern regions of England by that time.

Among the notable individuals bearing the surname Crankshaw is Edward Crankshaw (1909-2003), a British writer and historian who authored several books on Russian history and literature. He was born in London and spent many years as a journalist and lecturer.

Another prominent figure was Robert Crankshaw (1858-1927), a British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Prestwich division of Lancashire from 1906 to 1918.

In the realm of sports, Geoffrey Crankshaw (1908-1986) was an English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club in the 1930s. He was born in Ashton-under-Lyne and had a successful career as a right-arm fast-medium bowler.

The name Crankshaw also has literary connections, with Edith Crankshaw (1883-1965) being a notable English novelist and short story writer. She was born in Liverpool and published several works during her lifetime.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Crankshaw can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Crancheshaw" in the county of Lancashire. This historic record provides evidence of the surname's roots in the northern regions of England during the Norman period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Crankshaw

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

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 Crankshaw 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 Crankshaw 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 Crankshaw was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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