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

Criss, 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 Criss surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Criss in America

Criss is the 7066th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Criss surname appeared 4,738 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Criss.

We can also compare 2010 data for Criss 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 Criss

The surname Criss has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cryss," which means "cross." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a crossroads or a person who worked as a guide or porter at a crossing point.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1212, where a person named William Crys is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolving nature of the surname over time.

In the 13th century, the name is found in various records across different counties in England, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which mentions a Robert Crys. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 also reference a John Crys.

During the medieval period, the name was sometimes associated with place names like Cresswell in Northumberland or Cressy in Lincolnshire, indicating that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their place of origin or residence.

One notable historical figure bearing the Criss surname was Richard Criss, a Member of Parliament for Taunton in Somerset during the 16th century, serving from 1554 to 1555.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records, such as the baptism of John Criss in Staplehurst, Kent, in 1618, and the marriage of Thomas Criss and Anne Pulman in Croydon, Surrey, in 1635.

Another prominent individual with the Criss surname was Sir Nicholas Crispe (1598-1666), an English merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the establishment of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.

Moving into the 18th century, the Criss surname continued to be documented, with individuals like William Criss (1720-1785), a English clergyman and writer who published several religious works.

In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition with individuals like Frederic Criss (1846-1914), an English-born Australian politician who served as a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.

Throughout history, the Criss surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Crys, Cryss, Crisse, and Crysse, reflecting the inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Criss

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

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

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

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