2000
#8,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,406
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Creasy
Derived from a place name meaning "cress island" in Old English, referring to a location where watercress grew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,626 Americans carry the last name Creasy. That puts it at #9,779 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Creasy 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 Creasy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,527
Census rank
#9,779
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,162 bearers of the surname Creasy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9779th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Creasy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Creasy
The surname Creasy is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cress," which means a type of edible plant that grows in or near water. This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a stream or ate a lot of cress, or it could have been an occupational name for a cress seller or grower.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century, with a Robert Cressy mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. Other early spellings include Cressie, Crecy, and Crescy. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname, but it does mention several place names that may have contributed to its formation, such as Cresswell and Cressingham.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Hugh Creasy, a knight who fought alongside Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. This battle, which took place near the town of Crécy in northern France, proved to be a decisive English victory and may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.
During the 16th century, a prominent figure was William Creasy (c. 1520-1590), an English churchman who served as the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in Ireland. He was known for his efforts in promoting Protestantism and education in the region.
Another notable individual was Edward Shepherd Creasy (1812-1878), an English historian and barrister. He is best known for his book "The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World" (1851), which examined the impact of several major battles throughout history.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir Edward Creasy (1885-1957), a British military officer and diplomat. He served as the Governor of British Guiana (now Guyana) from 1933 to 1949 and played a significant role in the colony's development during his tenure.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Creasy
Among Census respondents with the surname Creasy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Creasy 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 Creasy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,837
- Two or more races3.6% · 115
- Black or African American3.2% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Creasy
Creasy 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
#9,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,506
+100 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 438 places
2020
#9,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,162
-344 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,845 | 3,406 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,283 | 3,506 | 1.19 | +100 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 438 places |
| 2020 | #9,779 | 3,162 | 1.06 | -344 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 496 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 Creasy 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 | #9,283 | #9,779 | -5.3% |
| Count | 3,506 | 3,162 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.06 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Creasy bearers went from 3,506 to 3,162 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 496 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,283 to #9,779.
FAQ
Creasy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Creasy?
Name Census estimates that about 3,626 living Americans carry the surname Creasy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,527 residents.
How common is Creasy?
Creasy ranks #9,779 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,162 people with the surname Creasy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,626), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Creasy.
Has Creasy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Creasy went from 3,506 recorded bearers to 3,162. That is a decrease of 344 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,283 to #9,779.
What does the Census say about the background of Creasy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Creasy, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Creasy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,837 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Creasy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (3.2%). 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 Creasy (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 Creasy mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "cress island" in Old English, referring to a location where watercress grew. 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 Creasy (1.06 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 Creasy?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Creasy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.