2000
#6,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Crayton
Derived from a place name meaning "town on the River Cray" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,331 Americans carry the last name Crayton. That puts it at #6,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crayton 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 Crayton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,139
Census rank
#6,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,521 bearers of the surname Crayton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crayton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.2%. The next largest groups are White (20.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crayton
The surname Crayton has its roots in England, originating in the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "crawe" meaning crow and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a settlement associated with crows.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Crawetun." This record suggests that the name was already established in parts of England before the Norman Conquest.
The name underwent various spelling variations over the centuries, including Crauton, Craughton, and Crawton, before settling on the modern form of Crayton. These variations reflect the regional dialects and pronunciation differences across different areas of England.
In the 13th century, records show a Robert de Crayton serving as a knight in the court of King Edward I. This early reference indicates that the name had gained some prominence by that time.
During the 16th century, the Crayton family held lands in Northamptonshire, where they were considered among the county's notable gentry. Sir John Crayton (1520-1584) was a prominent figure in this lineage, serving as a member of Parliament and as a justice of the peace.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Crayton (1670-1738), a renowned English architect who designed several churches and country houses in the Baroque style. His works include St. Mary's Church in Warwick and Eastbury Manor House in London.
In the 18th century, the surname gained recognition beyond England's borders. Benjamin Crayton (1738-1814) was an American statesman who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as the fourth Governor of South Carolina.
The 19th century saw the rise of Sir Reginald Crayton (1818-1892), a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became a respected writer and historian, publishing several influential works on military strategy and tactics.
While the surname Crayton has its origins in England, it has since spread across various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have contributed to various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crayton
Among Census respondents with the surname Crayton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.2%. The next largest groups are White (20.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Crayton 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 Crayton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American70.2% · 3,875
- White20.3% · 1,121
- Two or more races5.3% · 295
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crayton
Crayton 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
#6,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,709
+506 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 62 places
2020
#6,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,521
-188 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Up 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,084 | 5,203 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,022 | 5,709 | 1.94 | +506 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 62 places |
| 2020 | #6,001 | 5,521 | 1.85 | -188 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 21 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 Crayton 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 | #6,022 | #6,001 | 0.3% |
| Count | 5,709 | 5,521 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.85 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crayton bearers went from 5,709 to 5,521 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,022 to #6,001.
FAQ
Crayton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crayton?
Name Census estimates that about 6,331 living Americans carry the surname Crayton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,139 residents.
How common is Crayton?
Crayton ranks #6,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 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 5,521 people with the surname Crayton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,331), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 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 Crayton.
Has Crayton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crayton went from 5,709 recorded bearers to 5,521. That is a decrease of 188 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,022 to #6,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Crayton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crayton, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.2%. The next largest groups are White (20.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Crayton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.2% (3,875 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crayton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (70.2%), White (20.3%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Crayton (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 Crayton mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "town on the River Cray" in Old English. 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 Crayton (1.85 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 Americans have the surname Crayton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.