2000
#21,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,156
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Creger
Of German origin, meaning "innkeeper" or "tavern keeper".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,196 Americans carry the last name Creger. That puts it at #24,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 286,584 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Creger 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.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 286,584
Census rank
#24,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,043 bearers of the surname Creger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Creger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Creger
The surname Creger is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. Its earliest known usage traces back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, where it likely derived from the German word "krieg," meaning "war" or "battle." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive moniker for a warrior or soldier.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Creger appears in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Augsburg, referring to a local landowner named Hans Creger. Another notable early reference is found in the Codex Hirsaugiensis, a historical document from the Hirsau Abbey in the Black Forest region, which mentions a monk named Konrad Creger in the late 12th century.
As the name spread across Germany, it evolved into various spellings, including Kreger, Krieger, and Krigar, reflecting regional linguistic variations. Some of these variants are believed to have been influenced by the German word "kriegen," meaning "to get" or "to receive," potentially indicating a connection to a profession or trade.
One of the earliest prominent figures bearing the Creger name was Johann Creger, a 16th-century Lutheran clergyman and theologian from Saxony (born c. 1520 - died 1598). He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and authored several influential theological works.
Another notable Creger was Christoph Creger, a 17th-century German composer and organist (born c. 1625 - died 1697). He served as the court musician to the Duke of Saxe-Weimar and is renowned for his contributions to the development of the North German organ school.
In the 18th century, the name Creger appeared in various regions of Germany, including the town of Marburg, where a family of weavers and merchants bearing the name resided. One member of this family, Johann Friedrich Creger (born 1725 - died 1790), was a respected guild master and influential figure in the local textile trade.
The 19th century saw the name Creger spread further across Europe, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of the world. One such individual was Wilhelm Creger (born 1820 - died 1895), a German-born settler who established a successful farming community in Queensland, Australia, in the latter half of the century.
While the surname Creger is not among the most common in Germany, it has a rich and diverse history spanning several centuries, with individuals bearing the name making notable contributions in various fields, including religion, music, and commerce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Creger
Among Census respondents with the surname Creger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Creger 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 Creger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 955
- Two or more races3.5% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Creger
Creger 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
#20,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,286
+130 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 555 places
2020
#24,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,043
-243 bearers (-18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 4,333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,156 | 1,156 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,601 | 1,286 | 0.44 | +130 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 555 places |
| 2020 | #24,934 | 1,043 | 0.35 | -243 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 4,333 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 Creger 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 | #20,601 | #24,934 | -21.0% |
| Count | 1,286 | 1,043 | -18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.35 | -20.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Creger bearers went from 1,286 to 1,043 (-18.9% change). The surname moved down 4,333 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,601 to #24,934.
FAQ
Creger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Creger?
Name Census estimates that about 1,196 living Americans carry the surname Creger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 286,584 residents.
How common is Creger?
Creger ranks #24,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,043 people with the surname Creger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Creger.
Has Creger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Creger went from 1,286 recorded bearers to 1,043. That is a decrease of 243 (-18.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,601 to #24,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Creger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Creger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Creger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (955 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Creger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Creger (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 Creger mean?
Of German origin, meaning "innkeeper" or "tavern keeper". 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 Creger (0.35 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 Americans have the surname Creger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.