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

Creef, 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 Creef surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Creef in America

Creef is the 110286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Creef surname appeared 160 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 Creef.

We can also compare 2010 data for Creef 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 Creef

The surname CREEF has its origins in Northern England, specifically the county of Yorkshire. It first appeared in historical records around the 13th century, derived from the Old English words "cryf" and "cref," meaning "crevice" or "crag." This suggests that the name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone living near a crag or rocky outcrop.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1379 Poll Tax Returns for Yorkshire, where a certain Robert de Cryf is listed as a resident of the village of Knaresborough. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of 1524 for the same region, spelled variously as "Creffe," "Creyf," and "Creyfe."

In the 16th century, the surname began to appear in other parts of Northern England, including Northumberland and County Durham. It is believed that the CREEF family may have had ties to the village of Crayke, near York, as this placename shares a similar root and spelling.

Notable individuals bearing the CREEF surname include John Creef (1590-1658), a merchant and landowner in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, and William Creef (1625-1702), a Protestant minister who served as the Rector of Gainford in County Durham from 1670 until his death.

In the 18th century, the CREEF family had established itself in the county of Lancashire, where records show a James Creef (1710-1782) working as a coal merchant in the town of Blackburn. His son, also named James Creef (1745-1822), continued in the family business and became a prominent figure in the local community.

Another notable bearer of the CREEF surname was Sir Thomas Creef (1790-1865), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars and later served as the Governor of the Bahamas from 1842 to 1849.

Throughout its history, the CREEF surname has maintained its stronghold in Northern England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland, Durham, and Lancashire. While not a particularly common name, it continues to be carried by families with deep roots in this region of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Creef

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

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

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

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