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

Creta, 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 Creta surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Creta in America

Creta is the 114424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Creta surname appeared 153 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 Creta.

We can also compare 2010 data for Creta 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 Creta

The surname CRETA originated from the Mediterranean island of Crete, which is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when many inhabitants of Crete adopted the island's name as their family name.

During the Venetian rule of Crete, which lasted from the 13th to the 17th century, the name CRETA was widely used among the local population. It is believed that the name was derived from the Greek word "Kritis," meaning "a person from Crete."

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the CRETA surname can be found in the Venetian census records of the 16th century. These records document several families with the CRETA surname living in various parts of the island.

In the 17th century, a notable figure with the CRETA surname was Pietro Creta, a Cretan scholar and writer who lived from 1610 to 1685. His works included historical accounts of the Venetian rule in Crete and the island's cultural traditions.

Another individual of significance was Andrea Creta, a Cretan artist born in 1624. He gained recognition for his religious paintings and frescoes, many of which can still be found in churches across Crete and other parts of Greece.

During the Ottoman rule of Crete, which began in the late 17th century, the CRETA surname continued to be prevalent among the Greek population of the island. In the 19th century, Konstantinos Creta, a prominent Cretan merchant and philanthropist, played a crucial role in supporting the island's independence movement against Ottoman rule.

In more recent times, the CRETA surname has spread beyond the island of Crete due to migration and diaspora. Nikolaos Creta, a Greek-American historian born in 1932, is renowned for his works on the history of the Greek diaspora in the United States.

The CRETA surname has a rich history deeply rooted in the island of Crete, spanning centuries of cultural and political developments. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its origins remain closely tied to the proud identity of the Cretan people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Creta

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

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

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

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