2000
#10,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,743
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Cray
Derived from a place name meaning "at the cray," referring to a brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,704 Americans carry the last name Cray. That puts it at #12,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,758 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cray 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cray with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,758
Census rank
#12,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,358 bearers of the surname Cray in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cray, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cray
The surname CRAY has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon era of England. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "cræg," meaning "rock" or "crag." This suggests that the name may have been derived from a topographical feature or a place name associated with a rocky or craggy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CRAY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various forms, such as "Cragh" and "Cragg," indicating that the spelling was not yet standardized.
During the Middle Ages, the CRAY name was prevalent in various regions of England, particularly in the northern counties. It is likely that the name was borne by individuals who lived near or were associated with rocky or craggy areas, reflecting the descriptive nature of the name's origins.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the CRAY surname was John Cray (c. 1515-1572), an English scholar and clergyman who served as the Dean of Chichester Cathedral. Another individual of note was Sir Robert Cray (1576-1642), a member of the English Parliament and a supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, Samuel Cray (1710-1786) was a prominent English architect known for his work on various churches and public buildings in London and the surrounding areas. His son, John Cray (1741-1821), followed in his footsteps and became a respected architect as well.
The 19th century saw the emergence of George Cray (1819-1892), a British industrialist and founder of the Cray Paper Company, which played a significant role in the development of the paper industry in England.
Throughout its history, the CRAY surname has been associated with various place names and locations in England, such as Cray St. Paul and Cray Marshes in Kent, as well as Crayke in North Yorkshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cray
Among Census respondents with the surname Cray, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cray 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 Cray surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.5% · 1,662
- Black or African American22.3% · 527
- Two or more races4.2% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cray
Cray 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
#11,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,719
-24 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 871 places
2020
#12,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,358
-361 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,689 | 2,743 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,560 | 2,719 | 0.92 | -24 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 871 places |
| 2020 | #12,545 | 2,358 | 0.79 | -361 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 985 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 Cray 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 | #11,560 | #12,545 | -8.5% |
| Count | 2,719 | 2,358 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.79 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cray bearers went from 2,719 to 2,358 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 985 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,560 to #12,545.
FAQ
Cray surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cray?
Name Census estimates that about 2,704 living Americans carry the surname Cray. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,758 residents.
How common is Cray?
Cray ranks #12,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,358 people with the surname Cray. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,704), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cray.
Has Cray become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cray went from 2,719 recorded bearers to 2,358. That is a decrease of 361 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,560 to #12,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Cray?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cray, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Cray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.5% (1,662 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cray appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.5%), Black (22.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Cray (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 Cray mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "at the cray," referring to a brook 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 Cray (0.79 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 common is the surname Cray?
Want to know how many people have the last name Cray? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.