2000
#13,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Criner
An occupational surname for a sieve or sifter maker, derived from the Middle English word "cryner" or "crynere."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,407 Americans carry the last name Criner. That puts it at #13,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,399 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Criner 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
2.4K
1 in 142,399
Census rank
#13,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,099 bearers of the surname Criner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Criner, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Criner
The surname CRINER is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, possibly in the county of Norfolk. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cryne," which means a small crevice or crack. This could indicate that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a particular geological feature or perhaps worked in a profession related to mining or quarrying.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CRINER surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, a census-like record from the late 13th century. This document lists a man named Richard Criner, who was likely one of the first bearers of the name.
In the 15th century, the CRINER name appears in the records of the town of Great Yarmouth, located in Norfolk. A merchant named John Criner is mentioned in documents from the year 1457, suggesting that the family had established itself in the area by that time.
During the Tudor period, a notable figure with the CRINER surname was Sir William Criner, a courtier and diplomat who served under King Henry VIII. Sir William was born in 1495 and died in 1560, and he is known to have been involved in negotiations with various European powers during his career.
Another prominent individual with the CRINER name was Robert Criner, a Puritan minister who lived in the 17th century. He was born in 1620 and served as the pastor of a church in the town of Dedham, Essex, until his death in 1696.
In the 18th century, the CRINER surname appeared in the parish records of several villages in Norfolk and Suffolk, indicating that the name was still concentrated in the eastern regions of England at that time.
One notable bearer of the CRINER name during this period was Edward Criner, a scholar and author who was born in 1725. He wrote several works on topics such as philosophy and theology, and he is known to have been a respected figure in academic circles.
As the centuries passed, the CRINER surname spread to other parts of England and eventually to other parts of the world, as members of the family migrated to new territories. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in the eastern counties of England, where it likely originated from a small geographical feature or occupation related to the Old English word "cryne."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Criner
Among Census respondents with the surname Criner, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Criner 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 Criner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.2% · 1,432
- Black or African American20.1% · 421
- Two or more races5.7% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Criner
Criner 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
#13,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,222
+105 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 401 places
2020
#13,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,099
-123 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,226 | 2,117 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,627 | 2,222 | 0.75 | +105 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 401 places |
| 2020 | #13,789 | 2,099 | 0.70 | -123 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 162 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 Criner 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 | #13,627 | #13,789 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,222 | 2,099 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.70 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Criner bearers went from 2,222 to 2,099 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 162 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,627 to #13,789.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Criner
FAQ
Criner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Criner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,407 living Americans carry the surname Criner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,399 residents.
How common is Criner?
Criner ranks #13,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,099 people with the surname Criner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,407), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Criner.
Has Criner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Criner went from 2,222 recorded bearers to 2,099. That is a decrease of 123 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,627 to #13,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Criner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Criner, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Criner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.2% (1,432 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Criner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.2%), Black (20.1%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Criner (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 Criner mean?
An occupational surname for a sieve or sifter maker, derived from the Middle English word "cryner" or "crynere." 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 Criner (0.70 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 last name Criner?
You can see how many people have the surname Criner on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.