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

Crete, 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 Crete surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Crete in America

Crete is the 50275th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Crete surname appeared 416 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 Crete.

We can also compare 2010 data for Crete 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 Crete

The surname Crete is of Greek origin, derived from the name of the Mediterranean island of Crete, the largest and most populous of the Greek islands. The name Crete itself comes from the ancient Greek word "Kres," which was the original name of the island.

Crete has a rich history dating back to the Minoan civilization, one of the earliest civilizations in Europe. The island was a significant cultural and trading center in ancient times, and its name became associated with people who lived there or had connections to the island.

While the surname Crete is not commonly found in historical records or manuscripts, there are a few notable individuals who have borne this name throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances is Giovanni Crete, an Italian painter from the 15th century, who was active in the early Renaissance period (c. 1420 - c. 1490).

Another noteworthy figure with the surname Crete was John Crete, an English poet and clergyman from the 16th century (c. 1515 - 1572). He is best known for his poetic work "The Blazon of Honour," which was published in 1562.

In the 17th century, there was a French nobleman named Michel de Crete (1615 - 1687), who served as a military officer and diplomat under Louis XIV. He played a significant role in the French conquest of the Franche-Comté region.

Moving to more recent times, there was an American actor named Richard Crete (1913 - 1986), who appeared in several films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century.

Finally, one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Crete in modern times is Hervé Crete, a French-Canadian businessman and philanthropist (born 1948). He is the founder and former CEO of the multinational information technology company CGI Inc.

While the surname Crete is not among the most common in the world, its connection to the ancient Greek island and its rich history make it a unique and intriguing name with a deep cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Crete

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

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

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

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