2000
#12,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Crick
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a bend or twist in a river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,545 Americans carry the last name Crick. That puts it at #13,192 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,678 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crick surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Crick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 134,678
Census rank
#13,192
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,219 bearers of the surname Crick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13192nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crick, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crick
The surname Crick is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cricc," which means a creek or a small stream. This surname first emerged in the counties of Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire, where it referred to individuals who lived near a small watercourse or stream.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Crick dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cric" and "Crice." These early spellings reflect the pronunciation of the name during the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the surname Crick appeared in various forms, including "Criche," "Cryche," and "Cricke," reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling during that time. One notable early bearer of the name was William de Crike, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1199.
The surname Crick is also associated with several place names in England, such as Crick in Northamptonshire, Crick in Monmouthshire, and Crick Hollow in Shropshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Crick throughout history are:
1. Francis Crick (1916-2004), the renowned British molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist, best known for co-discovering the structure of the DNA molecule with James Watson in 1953.
2. John Crick (1588-1644), an English clergyman and writer who served as the rector of Pattishall in Northamptonshire.
3. Sir Michael Crick (1938-2017), a British journalist and author, known for his biographies of prominent political figures such as Michael Heseltine and Jeffrey Archer.
4. Oliver Crick (1912-2005), a British mathematician and logician who made significant contributions to the field of mathematical logic.
5. Walter Crick (1857-1941), an English artist and engraver, renowned for his wood engravings and illustrations for books.
The surname Crick has a rich history rooted in the English countryside and has been associated with notable individuals across various fields, including science, literature, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crick
Among Census respondents with the surname Crick, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Crick bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 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.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
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 Crick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 1,981
- Black or African American3.8% · 84
- Two or more races3.2% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crick
Crick appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,430
+76 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 556 places
2020
#13,192
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,219
-211 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 489 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,147 | 2,354 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,703 | 2,430 | 0.82 | +76 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 556 places |
| 2020 | #13,192 | 2,219 | 0.74 | -211 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 489 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Crick surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,703 | #13,192 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,430 | 2,219 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.74 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crick bearers went from 2,430 to 2,219 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 489 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,703 to #13,192.
FAQ
Crick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crick?
Name Census estimates that about 2,545 living Americans carry the surname Crick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,678 residents.
How common is Crick?
Crick ranks #13,192 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,219 people with the surname Crick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,545), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Crick.
Has Crick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crick went from 2,430 recorded bearers to 2,219. That is a decrease of 211 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,703 to #13,192.
What does the Census say about the background of Crick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crick, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Crick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (1,981 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Black (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Crick (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Crick mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a bend or twist in a river. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Crick (0.74 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Crick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.