2000
#6,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Crim
An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a seller or maker of combs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,907 Americans carry the last name Crim. That puts it at #7,504 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,850 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crim 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.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,850
Census rank
#7,504
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,279 bearers of the surname Crim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7504th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crim, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crim
The surname Crim has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in England and Scotland. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "crymbig," which means "crooked" or "bent." This likely referred to someone who had a physical deformity or lived near a winding road or river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Crim can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Crimp" and "Crympe," indicating its evolution over time.
In the 13th century, a man named Ricardus Crym was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire, England, in 1212. This is one of the earliest known examples of the surname in its current spelling.
During the medieval period, the Crim surname was also found in Scotland, particularly in the Renfrewshire area. In 1296, a certain William Crym from Renfrewshire swore fealty to King Edward I of England, suggesting the name's presence in that region.
The surname Crim has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was John Crim (1696-1768), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War. He is remembered for his role in the capture of the French ship Foudroyant in 1758.
Another significant figure was Sir Archibald Crim (1771-1849), a Scottish politician and judge who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland from 1835 to 1841. He played a crucial role in reforming the Scottish legal system during his tenure.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Crim was William Crim (1756-1834), a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Kentucky and became a prominent farmer and landowner.
The Crim surname has also been associated with place names, such as Crim Hill in Gloucestershire, England, and Crim Cottage in Northumberland, England. These places likely derived their names from individuals or families bearing the surname Crim who resided in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Crim include George Crim (1826-1898), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, and Walter Crim (1918-2003), an American jazz drummer and composer who played with several renowned musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald and Charlie Parker.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crim
Among Census respondents with the surname Crim, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Crim 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 Crim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 3,364
- Black or African American13.1% · 562
- Two or more races4.5% · 192
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 130
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crim
Crim 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
#7,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,552
+57 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 439 places
2020
#7,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,279
-273 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,889 | 4,495 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,328 | 4,552 | 1.54 | +57 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 439 places |
| 2020 | #7,504 | 4,279 | 1.43 | -273 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 176 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 Crim 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 | #7,328 | #7,504 | -2.4% |
| Count | 4,552 | 4,279 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.43 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crim bearers went from 4,552 to 4,279 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 176 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,328 to #7,504.
FAQ
Crim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crim?
Name Census estimates that about 4,907 living Americans carry the surname Crim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,850 residents.
How common is Crim?
Crim ranks #7,504 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 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 4,279 people with the surname Crim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,907), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 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 Crim.
Has Crim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crim went from 4,552 recorded bearers to 4,279. That is a decrease of 273 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,328 to #7,504.
What does the Census say about the background of Crim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crim, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (13.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Crim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (3,364 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Black (13.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Crim (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 Crim mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a seller or maker of combs. 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 Crim (1.43 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 common is the surname Crim?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Crim? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.