2000
#22,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,082
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Crapo
An English surname derived from the French term "crapaud" meaning "toad".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,321 Americans carry the last name Crapo. That puts it at #22,823 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 259,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crapo 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
1.3K
1 in 259,466
Census rank
#22,823
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,152 bearers of the surname Crapo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22823rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crapo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crapo
The surname Crapo is believed to have originated in northern France, particularly in the region of Normandy, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "crappe," which referred to a type of fish known as a carp. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who caught or sold carp.
In the 11th century, many Norman families migrated to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is possible that the Crapo name was introduced to England during this period. The earliest known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Crappius in the county of Sussex.
Over the centuries, the name underwent various spellings, including Crappe, Crapp, and Crapeaux, before settling into its modern form of Crapo. One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Crapo, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th century.
The Crapo family later established roots in the United States, with the first recorded immigrant being Pierre Crapo, who arrived in Massachusetts from France in the 17th century. His descendants went on to play significant roles in various fields, including business, politics, and the military.
One of the most prominent Crapos was Henry Howland Crapo (1804-1869), a successful businessman and politician from Michigan. He served as the Governor of Michigan from 1865 to 1869 and was instrumental in the development of the state's lumber industry.
Another notable figure was William Wallace Crapo (1833-1926), a lawyer and businessman from Massachusetts. He served as the United States Secretary of the Interior under President Chester A. Arthur from 1881 to 1885.
In the realm of literature, Mary Euphrasia Pelletier Crapo (1836-1905), better known as Mary E.P. Crapo, was a Canadian author and poet who published several works in the late 19th century.
The Crapo name has also been associated with various geographical locations, such as Crapo Park in Burlington, Vermont, and the community of Crapo, Maryland, which was named after a local landowner bearing the surname.
While the surname Crapo may have had humble beginnings as an occupational name related to fishing, it has since become widely dispersed and has produced individuals who have made significant contributions to various aspects of society throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crapo
Among Census respondents with the surname Crapo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Crapo 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 Crapo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,071
- Two or more races3.0% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 10
- Black or African American0.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crapo
Crapo 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
#22,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,155
+73 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 79 places
2020
#22,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,152
-3 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 504 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,240 | 1,082 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,319 | 1,155 | 0.39 | +73 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 79 places |
| 2020 | #22,823 | 1,152 | 0.39 | -3 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 504 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 Crapo 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 | #22,319 | #22,823 | -2.3% |
| Count | 1,155 | 1,152 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.39 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crapo bearers went from 1,155 to 1,152 (-0.3% change). The surname moved down 504 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,319 to #22,823.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Crapo
FAQ
Crapo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crapo?
Name Census estimates that about 1,321 living Americans carry the surname Crapo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 259,466 residents.
How common is Crapo?
Crapo ranks #22,823 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 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 1,152 people with the surname Crapo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,321), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 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 Crapo.
Has Crapo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crapo went from 1,155 recorded bearers to 1,152. That is a decrease of 3 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,319 to #22,823.
What does the Census say about the background of Crapo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crapo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Crapo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,071 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crapo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Crapo (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 Crapo mean?
An English surname derived from the French term "crapaud" meaning "toad". 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 Crapo (0.39 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 are called Crapo?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Crapo at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.