2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Crantz
A Germanic surname derived from the word "Kranz," meaning "wreath" or "garland."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Crantz. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crantz 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Crantz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crantz, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (22.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crantz
The surname Crantz has its origins in Germany, dating back to the early medieval period around the 10th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "krank," which meant "weak" or "feeble." Over time, this word transformed into the surname Crantz.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Crantz surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Galli, an early medieval manuscript from the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland, dated to the 9th century. This document contains a list of names, including "Crantzio," which is thought to be an early variant spelling of the Crantz name.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Johannes Crantz was a prominent theologian and writer who authored several works on ecclesiastical law and theology. He was born in Bamberg, Germany, around 1200 and died in 1283.
During the Renaissance period, the Crantz surname was also associated with the German humanist scholar, Johann Crantz, who lived from 1491 to 1564. He was a historian and author known for his work titled "Rerum Germanicarum Historici Clarissimi," a comprehensive chronicle of German history.
Another individual of note was Balthasar Crantz, a German botanist and physician who lived from 1515 to 1588. He is renowned for his contributions to the study of plants and his work titled "Historiae Plantarum," which was a significant botanical treatise of its time.
In the 17th century, Johann Heinrich Crantz, born in 1661 and died in 1720, was a German philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy.
The Crantz surname can also be traced back to various place names in Germany, such as Crantzberg, Crantzheim, and Crantzburg, which may have influenced the development and regional variations of the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crantz
Among Census respondents with the surname Crantz, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (22.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Crantz 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 Crantz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native22.0% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crantz
Crantz 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-37 bearers (-26.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 41,192 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,839 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -37 bearers (-26.2%) | Down 41,192 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Up 5,839 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 Crantz 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 | #156,044 | #150,205 | 3.7% |
| Count | 104 | 109 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crantz bearers went from 104 to 109 (+4.8% change). The surname moved up 5,839 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #150,205.
FAQ
Crantz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crantz?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Crantz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Crantz?
Crantz ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Crantz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Crantz.
Has Crantz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crantz went from 104 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 5 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Crantz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crantz, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (22.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Crantz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crantz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (22.0%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Crantz (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 Crantz mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the word "Kranz," meaning "wreath" or "garland." 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 Crantz (0.04 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 share the surname Crantz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.