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

Creary, 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 Creary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Creary in America

Creary is the 28856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Creary surname appeared 824 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Creary.

We can also compare 2010 data for Creary 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 Creary

The surname Creary is believed to have originated in Scotland, specifically in the Orkney Islands, during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "kràka" meaning "crow" and "ærgi" meaning "dwelling" or "pasture." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a place frequented by crows or perhaps someone who had a distinctive appearance or mannerism reminiscent of a crow.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Orkneyinga Saga, a historical narrative of the Orkney Islands written in the early 13th century. This saga mentions a man named Crakkærgi, which is likely an early spelling variation of the name Creary.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in various forms in the records of the Orkney Islands, such as Craikargy, Crakkergy, and Crekardy. These variations suggest that the name had already begun to evolve and take on different spellings over time.

One notable individual with the surname Creary was William Creary, a Scottish explorer and navigator who lived in the late 16th century. He is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to explore the coastline of what is now Canada, specifically the area around Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Another significant figure was James Creary, born in 1793 in Orkney, who served as a captain in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He is renowned for his bravery and leadership during several naval battles against the French fleet.

In the 19th century, the Creary name was also documented in Ireland, where it is believed that some Scottish families with the name had migrated. One example is Patrick Creary, born in 1825 in County Antrim, Ireland, who was a prominent political activist and advocate for Irish independence.

Additionally, the name Creary has been associated with certain place names in Scotland, such as Creary Head, a headland on the island of Westray in the Orkney Islands, and Craikaray, a small island off the coast of Orkney.

It is worth noting that while the name Creary is not as common as some other Scottish surnames, it has a rich history and connections to various historical events and locations, particularly in the Orkney Islands and Scotland as a whole.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Creary

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

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

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

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