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

Cress, 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 Cress surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cress in America

Cress is the 6153rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cress surname appeared 5,565 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cress.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cress 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 Cress

The surname Cress has its origins in England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'cresse', meaning watercress, a pungent-flavored plant that grows in streams and marshes. The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a watercress patch or worked with the plant.

One of the earliest records of the name Cress can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Gaufridus Cresse is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also lists several individuals with the surname Cress, including William Cresse from Oxfordshire and Robert Cresse from Cambridgeshire.

In the 13th century, the name Cress appeared in various spellings, such as Cresse, Crasse, and Creys, reflecting the phonetic variations of the time. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 record a John Crays from Worcestershire, while the Hearth Tax Returns of 1662 mention a Thomas Crass from Gloucestershire.

One notable figure in history with the surname Cress was Robert Cress, an English clergyman and academic who lived from 1557 to 1642. He served as the Rector of Ickworth in Suffolk and was a fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge.

Another individual of note was Sir John Cress, a Knight of the Shire for Suffolk who was elected to the House of Commons in 1554. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in England during the reign of Queen Mary I.

In the 17th century, the name Cress was associated with the village of Cresswell in Northumberland, suggesting a possible connection between the surname and a place name. William Cress, born in 1621, was a notable resident of Cresswell and served as the village's constable.

Moving into the 18th century, we find Thomas Cress (1672-1744), a prominent English landowner and businessman from Gloucestershire. He was involved in the wool trade and owned several estates in the region.

Finally, in the 19th century, James Cress (1819-1892) was a renowned horticulturist and nurseryman from Hertfordshire. He introduced several new varieties of vegetables and wrote extensively on gardening techniques.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cress

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

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

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

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