2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Crawson
From a source referring to a person who lived by a ravine or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Crawson. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crawson 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Crawson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.6%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crawson
The surname CRAWSON is of English origin, dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated in the East Midlands region of England, particularly in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "craw" (meaning crow) and "sunu" (meaning son), suggesting it was initially a descriptive surname given to someone who was associated with crows, perhaps a crow hunter or someone who lived near a place frequented by crows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname CRAWSON can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1327, where a William Crawson is mentioned. The name also appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Grainthorpe in Lincolnshire in the early 15th century, indicating its presence in that area.
In the 16th century, the surname CRAWSON is found in various parish records across the East Midlands. Notable examples include John Crawson, who was baptized in Bingham, Nottinghamshire, in 1587, and Robert Crawson, whose marriage to Elizabeth Wilton was recorded in the parish of Bottesford, Leicestershire, in 1596.
During the 17th century, the CRAWSON surname spread to other parts of England. One notable individual was William Crawson, a merchant from London, who was involved in the Virginia Company and invested in the Jamestown settlement in the early 1600s.
In the 18th century, the CRAWSON name appeared in various historical records, including the Hearth Tax Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1673, where a Thomas Crawson is listed as a landowner in the village of Sutton. Another noteworthy individual was John Crawson (1706-1783), a successful farmer and landowner in the village of Claypole, Nottinghamshire.
The 19th century saw the CRAWSON surname continuing to be present across England, with individuals such as George Crawson (1804-1879), a prominent businessman and landowner in Lincolnshire, and Mary Ann Crawson (1823-1898), a respected schoolteacher in Nottingham.
Throughout history, the surname CRAWSON has undergone various spelling variations, including Crawsonne, Crausan, and Crausonne, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in earlier times. While not a particularly common surname, it has maintained a presence in England for centuries, with notable individuals bearing the name across different regions and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crawson
Among Census respondents with the surname Crawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.6%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Crawson 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 Crawson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.5% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino18.6% · 21
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crawson
Crawson 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+10 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 174 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-13 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,358 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 174 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 13,358 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 Crawson 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 | #133,863 | #147,221 | -10.0% |
| Count | 126 | 113 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crawson bearers went from 126 to 113 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 13,358 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #147,221.
FAQ
Crawson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crawson?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Crawson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Crawson?
Crawson ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Crawson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Crawson.
Has Crawson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crawson went from 126 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Crawson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.6%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Crawson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crawson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.5%), Hispanic (18.6%), Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Crawson (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 Crawson mean?
From a source referring to a person who lived by a ravine or stream. 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 Crawson (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 have the last name Crawson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Crawson is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.