2000
#12,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,388
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Cranmer
An English occupational surname referring to a crane operator or marshman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,688 Americans carry the last name Cranmer. That puts it at #12,591 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,513 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cranmer 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 Cranmer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 127,513
Census rank
#12,591
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,344 bearers of the surname Cranmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12591st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cranmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cranmer
The surname Cranmer is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cran" meaning crane and "mere" meaning a pool or small lake, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived near a body of water frequented by cranes.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Cranmer can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "de Cranmere." This indicates that the name was likely initially a locational surname, referring to a specific place or geographical feature.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a certain Thomas de Cranmere is mentioned in 1317.
One of the most notable individuals bearing the Cranmer surname was Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. He played a crucial role in the English Reformation and was a key figure in the establishment of the Church of England.
Another historically significant Cranmer was Thomas Cranmer (1637-1701), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Middlesex and wrote several religious works, including a commentary on the Book of Revelation.
In the 17th century, a prominent member of the Cranmer family was Ralph Cranmer (1621-1683), who was a lawyer and held the position of Chief Prothonotary of the Court of King's Bench.
Moving forward to the 18th century, John Cranmer (1696-1754) was an English politician and Member of Parliament for Bramber, representing the Whig party.
Additionally, the name Cranmer has been associated with various place names in England, such as Cranmer Hall in Norfolk and Cranmer Green in Middlesex, further reinforcing its geographical origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cranmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Cranmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cranmer 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 Cranmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,140
- Two or more races4.5% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 68
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cranmer
Cranmer 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
#12,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,479
+91 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 500 places
2020
#12,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,344
-135 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 87 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,004 | 2,388 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,504 | 2,479 | 0.84 | +91 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 500 places |
| 2020 | #12,591 | 2,344 | 0.78 | -135 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 87 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 Cranmer 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 | #12,504 | #12,591 | -0.7% |
| Count | 2,479 | 2,344 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.78 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cranmer bearers went from 2,479 to 2,344 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 87 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,504 to #12,591.
FAQ
Cranmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cranmer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,688 living Americans carry the surname Cranmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,513 residents.
How common is Cranmer?
Cranmer ranks #12,591 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,344 people with the surname Cranmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,688), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Cranmer.
Has Cranmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cranmer went from 2,479 recorded bearers to 2,344. That is a decrease of 135 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,504 to #12,591.
What does the Census say about the background of Cranmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cranmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Cranmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cranmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Cranmer (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 Cranmer mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a crane operator or marshman. 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 Cranmer (0.78 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 people have the surname Cranmer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.