2000
#3,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,185
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.03
Rare Last name
Creamer
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold cream, or a nickname for a pale person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,680 Americans carry the last name Creamer. That puts it at #4,549 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Creamer 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 Creamer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,488
Census rank
#4,549
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,569 bearers of the surname Creamer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4549th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Creamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Creamer
The surname Creamer has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "creme" or "creman," which referred to a dairyman or someone involved in the production or sale of cream.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Creamer can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John le Cremor is listed in Oxfordshire. This early spelling variation suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname, given to those who worked with dairy products.
During the medieval period, the Creamer surname was particularly concentrated in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire, where dairy farming was a significant industry. In Somerset, records from the 14th century show several entries for individuals with the surname, such as Walter le Cremor (1327) and John Cremer (1379).
In the late 16th century, the surname also appeared in various forms in parish records across England, including Creamer, Cremer, and Crimer. One notable individual was John Creamer, a yeoman from Gloucestershire, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1587.
As time progressed, the Creamer surname spread to other parts of England and beyond. In the 17th century, a number of Creamers emigrated to the American colonies, seeking new opportunities and religious freedom. One of the earliest Creamers in America was Thomas Creamer, who settled in Virginia in 1635.
Over the centuries, several individuals with the Creamer surname have achieved notable accomplishments. William Creamer (1795-1860) was a British architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in London. John Creamer (1825-1899) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Other notable Creamers include Robert Creamer (1909-1994), an American civil rights activist and author; Benjamin Creamer (1832-1901), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire; and Elizabeth Creamer (1824-1896), an American artist known for her landscape paintings.
While the Creamer surname may have originated from a humble occupation, it has endured through the centuries and spread across the globe, reflecting the rich tapestry of human migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Creamer
Among Census respondents with the surname Creamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Creamer 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 Creamer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 6,524
- Black or African American5.7% · 434
- Two or more races3.7% · 277
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 270
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Creamer
Creamer 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
#4,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,255
+70 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 322 places
2020
#4,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,569
-686 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Down 244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,983 | 8,185 | 3.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,305 | 8,255 | 2.80 | +70 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 322 places |
| 2020 | #4,549 | 7,569 | 2.53 | -686 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 244 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 Creamer 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 | #4,305 | #4,549 | -5.7% |
| Count | 8,255 | 7,569 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.80 | 2.53 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Creamer bearers went from 8,255 to 7,569 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 244 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,305 to #4,549.
FAQ
Creamer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Creamer?
Name Census estimates that about 8,680 living Americans carry the surname Creamer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,488 residents.
How common is Creamer?
Creamer ranks #4,549 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,569 people with the surname Creamer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,680), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Creamer.
Has Creamer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Creamer went from 8,255 recorded bearers to 7,569. That is a decrease of 686 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,305 to #4,549.
What does the Census say about the background of Creamer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Creamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Creamer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (6,524 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Creamer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Creamer (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 Creamer mean?
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold cream, or a nickname for a pale person. 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 Creamer (2.53 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 Creamer?
Find out how common the surname Creamer is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.