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

Crețu, 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 Crețu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Crețu in America

Crețu is the 81772nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Crețu surname appeared 231 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 Crețu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Crețu 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 Crețu

The surname Cretu is of Romanian origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia. It is derived from the Romanian word "creț," meaning "curly-haired" or "frizzy-haired," which was likely used as a descriptive nickname for an ancestor with such a physical characteristic.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Cretu can be found in the Cadastral Records of Moldavia from the 16th century, where it appears as "Crețu." This spelling variation highlights the historical evolution of the name and its pronunciation over time.

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Cretu was Gheorghe Cretu, a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Iași, which was then the capital of Moldavia. His prosperous trading activities and substantial land holdings contributed to the recognition and prominence of the Cretu family within the region.

During the 18th century, a branch of the Cretu family settled in the village of Câmpulung Muscel, located in the historical region of Wallachia. This village is known for its long-standing tradition of pottery-making, and some members of the Cretu family were skilled artisans in this craft.

In the 19th century, Ion Cretu (1808-1875) was a respected Romanian writer, poet, and translator. He played a significant role in the development of Romanian literature and was instrumental in promoting the use of the Romanian language in literary works during a time when French and Greek were more commonly used by the educated classes.

Another notable figure from this period was Ecaterina Cretu (1835-1901), a prominent educator and women's rights advocate. She founded one of the first schools for girls in Bucharest and worked tirelessly to promote educational opportunities for women in Romania.

Moving into the 20th century, Mihai Cretu (1920-1998) was a celebrated Romanian composer and conductor. His compositions, which blended traditional Romanian folk elements with modern musical techniques, earned him widespread acclaim both within Romania and internationally.

Throughout its history, the surname Cretu has been associated with various professions and fields, including commerce, craftsmanship, literature, education, and the arts, reflecting the diverse contributions of individuals bearing this name to Romanian society and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Crețu

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!