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

Crawford, 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 Crawford surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Crawford in America

Crawford is the 156th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Crawford surname appeared 164,457 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 56 people would have the surname Crawford.

We can also compare 2010 data for Crawford 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 Crawford

The surname Crawford originates from Scotland and dates back to the 12th century. It is a territorial name derived from the Gaelic words 'crodh' meaning cattle and 'fuar' meaning cold, referring to the Crawford Burn, a stream in Lanarkshire.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which include the names of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to Edward I of England. These rolls mention Reginald de Crauford and John de Craufurd.

The name is also mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, which record payments made to individuals with the surname Crawford. One notable entry is from 1369, referring to Sir Reginald Crawford, a Scottish knight.

In the 15th century, the Crawford family held significant power and influence in Scotland. The most notable member was David Lindsay, 5th Earl of Crawford (c. 1440-1513), a Scottish nobleman and diplomat who served as Lord High Admiral of Scotland.

Another prominent figure was William Crawford (c. 1500-1570), a Scottish religious reformer and diplomat who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Protestant faith in Scotland.

The surname also appears in various historical documents related to the Scottish Wars of Independence, with several Crawfords serving in the Scottish army against the English.

In the 17th century, the name is associated with the Crawford family of Craufurdland Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland. One notable member was Sir John Crawford (1603-1668), a Scottish soldier and landowner who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.

The surname Crawford has also been documented in various forms, such as Craufurd, Crauford, and Crawfurd, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Crawford

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

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

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

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