Crenshaw
From the Old English words "crundel" and "sceaga," referring to someone who lived near a crooked wood or grove.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,011 Americans carry the last name Crenshaw. That puts it at #1,995 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,313 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crenshaw surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
21K
1 in 16,313
Census rank
#1,995
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,096 bearers of the surname Crenshaw in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1995th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crenshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crenshaw
The surname CRENSHAW is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "crene" meaning "crane" and "sceaga" meaning "grove" or "small wood". It is thought to have originated as a place name, likely referring to a location where cranes were known to gather or nest in a wooded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Crenshawe, Crenshaw, and Crenshewe appearing in various historical records and documents. One of the earliest known references is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a John de Creneshaw residing in Staffordshire.
During the Medieval period, the CRENSHAW name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire in northwest England. It is believed that the name may have originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a crane-inhabited grove or woodland area in one of these regions.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the CRENSHAW name began to appear more frequently in parish records and historical documents. One notable individual from this time was Richard Crenshaw, born in 1580 in Cheshire, who was a prominent landowner and magistrate.
As the CRENSHAW family spread across England, some branches of the family adopted variations of the name, such as Crenshawe and Cranshawe. One notable figure was Sir Ranulph Crenshawe (1608-1649), a Royalist commander during the English Civil War who fought for King Charles I.
In the late 17th century, several members of the CRENSHAW family immigrated to the American colonies, with some settling in Virginia and Maryland. One of the earliest recorded CRENSHAWs in America was Thomas Crenshaw, born in 1665 in Cheshire, England, who established a plantation in Henrico County, Virginia.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the CRENSHAW name continued to be prominent in various parts of the United States, with individuals such as Amos Crenshaw (1752-1828), a Revolutionary War soldier from Virginia, and Anderson Crenshaw (1784-1847), a U.S. Congressman from Tennessee.
Other notable individuals with the CRENSHAW surname include Ben Crenshaw (born 1952), an American professional golfer and two-time Masters champion, and Lucille Crenshaw (1862-1918), an African American educator and activist who founded the Crenshaw Community Center in Los Angeles, California.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crenshaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Crenshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Crenshaw bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Crenshaw surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.0%
- Black or African American42.1%
- Two or more races2.5%
- Hispanic or Latino2.5%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Crenshaw surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,895 | #1,995 | -5.3% |
| Count | 17,402 | 18,096 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 6.45 | 6.13 | -5.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Crenshaw bearers went from 17,402 to 18,096 (+4.0% change). The surname moved down 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,895 to #1,995.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Crenshaw
FAQ
Crenshaw surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Crenshaw?
The surname Crenshaw holds position #1,995 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 21,011 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 6.13 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Crenshaw surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crenshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.0%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.