2000
#2,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,770
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.10
Uncommon Last name
Creech
Derived from a place name meaning "creek" or "stream," or from the Old English word "crecca," meaning "crevice."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,215 Americans carry the last name Creech. That puts it at #2,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Creech 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 Creech with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,527
Census rank
#2,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,268 bearers of the surname Creech in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Creech, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Creech
Among Census respondents with the surname Creech, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Creech 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 Creech surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 11,630
- Black or African American5.4% · 720
- Two or more races3.7% · 494
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 286
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 63
Timeline
Historical Census data for Creech
Creech 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
#2,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,264
+494 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.84
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#2,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,268
-996 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 4.44
Rank movement Down 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,414 | 13,770 | 5.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,538 | 14,264 | 4.84 | +494 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #2,652 | 13,268 | 4.44 | -996 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 114 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 Creech 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 | #2,538 | #2,652 | -4.5% |
| Count | 14,264 | 13,268 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.84 | 4.44 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Creech bearers went from 14,264 to 13,268 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,538 to #2,652.
FAQ
Creech surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Creech?
Name Census estimates that about 15,215 living Americans carry the surname Creech. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,527 residents.
How common is Creech?
Creech ranks #2,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,268 people with the surname Creech. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,215), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Creech.
Has Creech become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Creech went from 14,264 recorded bearers to 13,268. That is a decrease of 996 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,538 to #2,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Creech?
Among Census respondents with the surname Creech, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) 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 Creech in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (11,630 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Creech appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (5.4%), 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 Creech (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 Creech mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "creek" or "stream," or from the Old English word "crecca," meaning "crevice." 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 Creech (4.44 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 people share the surname Creech?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.