Creech last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Creech

Derived from a place name meaning "creek" or "stream," or from the Old English word "crecca," meaning "crevice."

Creech, 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 Creech surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Creech in America

Creech is the 2538th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Creech surname appeared 14,264 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Creech.

We can also compare 2010 data for Creech 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2538 2414 5.01%
Count 14,264 13,770 3.52%
Proportion per 100k 4.84 5.10 -5.23%

The history of the last name Creech

The surname CREECH is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period, specifically the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "crycc," meaning "a creek" or "a small stream." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers may have lived near a creek or a stream.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name CREECH can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1230, where it appears as "de Cruce." This variation in spelling was quite common during that time, and the name likely evolved from "de Cruce" to its current form, CREECH.

The CREECH surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Creech St. Michael and Creech Heathfield in Somerset, as well as Creech Grange in Dorset. These place names may have influenced the surname's development or vice versa.

In the 14th century, the name CREECH appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where it was recorded as "Creyche." This early spelling variation highlights the fluid nature of surnames during that period.

One notable bearer of the CREECH surname was Sir Robert Creech (1591-1672), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Brackley in 1640.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Creech (1659-1700), an English translator and writer who is best known for his translations of classical works, including those of Lucretius, Horace, and Theocritus.

In the 18th century, William Creech (1745-1815) was a Scottish bookseller and publisher who played a significant role in the literary scene of Edinburgh during the Scottish Enlightenment.

The CREECH surname also has connections to the United States, with Reverend Thomas Creech (1665-1719) being one of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in the American colonies. He served as a minister in Massachusetts.

Lastly, William Creech (1806-1888) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Representative from Tennessee from 1851 to 1853.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Creech

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

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 Creech was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 90.57% 12,919
Non-Hispanic Black Only 5.48% 782
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.41% 58
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.60% 86
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.59% 227
Hispanic Origin 1.35% 193

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 Creech has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 90.57% 92.22% -1.81%
Black 5.48% 4.79% 13.44%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.41% 0.33% 21.62%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.60% 0.55% 8.70%
Two or More Races 1.59% 1.16% 31.27%
Hispanic 1.35% 0.94% 35.81%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Creech last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 9, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/creech-surname-popularity/.

"Creech last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/creech-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 October, 2024

Creech last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/creech-surname-popularity/.

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