2000
#5,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,035
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.24
Rare Last name
Cravens
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a person who lacked bravery or had a timid disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,622 Americans carry the last name Cravens. That puts it at #5,780 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,760 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cravens 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
6.6K
1 in 51,760
Census rank
#5,780
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,775 bearers of the surname Cravens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5780th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cravens, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cravens
The surname Cravens originated from the Anglo-Saxon regions of Britain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "craf" which means a craftsman or wright. The name was likely adopted as a hereditary surname to identify the bearer as the son of a craftsman.
Early recordings of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Craven". Variants of the spelling included Crauene, Crauen, and Cravent. The name was most prevalent in the northern regions of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Cravens was Robert Craven, who was born around 1220 in Yorkshire. He was a landowner and is mentioned in several historical records from the 13th century.
In the 14th century, John Craven (c. 1310 - 1380) was a notable figure from Lancashire. He served as a knight and fought in the Hundred Years' War under King Edward III.
During the 15th century, the Cravens family established themselves as influential landowners in Yorkshire. Sir William Craven (1428 - 1492) was a member of the gentry and held estates in the village of Craven, which likely contributed to the spelling variation of the surname.
In the 16th century, William Craven (1548 - 1618) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of York. He was involved in the wool trade and served as the Lord Mayor of York in 1599.
Another notable figure with the surname Cravens was Thomas Craven (1625 - 1702), who was a Puritan minister and author from Hertfordshire. He wrote several religious works and was known for his sermons.
The Cravens surname has been found in various regions of England throughout history, with a concentration in the northern counties. The name has also been recorded in other parts of the British Isles, as well as in North America and other countries with British colonial influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cravens
Among Census respondents with the surname Cravens, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cravens 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 Cravens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 4,877
- Two or more races4.9% · 285
- Black or African American4.9% · 283
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 239
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cravens
Cravens 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
#5,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,104
+69 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.07
Rank movement Down 367 places
2020
#5,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,775
-329 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,314 | 6,035 | 2.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,681 | 6,104 | 2.07 | +69 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 367 places |
| 2020 | #5,780 | 5,775 | 1.93 | -329 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 99 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 Cravens 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 | #5,681 | #5,780 | -1.7% |
| Count | 6,104 | 5,775 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.07 | 1.93 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cravens bearers went from 6,104 to 5,775 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,681 to #5,780.
FAQ
Cravens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cravens?
Name Census estimates that about 6,622 living Americans carry the surname Cravens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,760 residents.
How common is Cravens?
Cravens ranks #5,780 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,775 people with the surname Cravens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,622), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cravens.
Has Cravens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cravens went from 6,104 recorded bearers to 5,775. That is a decrease of 329 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,681 to #5,780.
What does the Census say about the background of Cravens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cravens, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (4.9%). 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 Cravens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (4,877 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cravens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Black (4.9%). 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 Cravens (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 Cravens mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a person who lacked bravery or had a timid disposition. 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 Cravens (1.93 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 Cravens?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.