2000
#13,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,013
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Crissman
Derived from a nickname for someone with curly hair, from the Middle English word "crisp," meaning curly.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,175 Americans carry the last name Crissman. That puts it at #14,959 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crissman 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
2.2K
1 in 157,588
Census rank
#14,959
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,897 bearers of the surname Crissman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14959th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crissman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crissman
The surname Crissman is of German origin, deriving from the Old High German word "krissan," which means "to wander or roam." This name likely originated in the Middle Ages, during a time when many people were migratory and traveling from place to place.
The earliest known record of the Crissman name dates back to the 14th century in the town of Koln, Germany. Here, a man named Hans Crissman was listed in a local census in 1362. It is believed that he may have been a traveling merchant or tradesman, as the name suggests a wandering lifestyle.
In the 16th century, the Crissman name appeared in the Palatinate region of Germany, particularly in the town of Heidelberg. One notable individual from this time was Johann Crissman, a scholar and theologian born in 1521. He was known for his work on translating religious texts and his involvement in the Protestant Reformation.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling began to emerge. In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes written as "Krisman" or "Krysman," while in France it was occasionally spelled "Crismon" or "Crismond."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Crissman name in America dates back to the late 17th century, when a man named Johann Crissman immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany in 1683. He settled in the area that is now known as Lancaster County and established a farm.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named Jacob Crissman (1732-1808) lived in Virginia. He was a farmer and landowner, as well as a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. His descendants went on to spread the name across various states in the United States.
Another significant individual was George Crissman (1806-1892), a businessman and politician from Ohio. He served as the Mayor of Zanesville and was also involved in various commercial enterprises, including banking and railroads.
During the 19th century, the Crissman name could be found in various parts of the United States, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, and Kansas. One notable person from this era was Sarah Crissman (1842-1919), a teacher and advocate for women's rights, who was born in Pennsylvania.
Towards the end of the 19th century, a man named William Crissman (1868-1942) gained recognition as a talented architect. He designed several notable buildings in the Chicago area, including the Marquette Building and the Pittsfield Building.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crissman
Among Census respondents with the surname Crissman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Crissman 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 Crissman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 1,772
- Two or more races3.4% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crissman
Crissman 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
#13,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,253
+240 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 305 places
2020
#14,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,897
-356 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,473 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,791 | 2,013 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,486 | 2,253 | 0.76 | +240 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 305 places |
| 2020 | #14,959 | 1,897 | 0.63 | -356 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 1,473 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 Crissman 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 | #13,486 | #14,959 | -10.9% |
| Count | 2,253 | 1,897 | -15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.63 | -16.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crissman bearers went from 2,253 to 1,897 (-15.8% change). The surname moved down 1,473 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,486 to #14,959.
FAQ
Crissman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crissman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,175 living Americans carry the surname Crissman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,588 residents.
How common is Crissman?
Crissman ranks #14,959 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,897 people with the surname Crissman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Crissman.
Has Crissman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crissman went from 2,253 recorded bearers to 1,897. That is a decrease of 356 (-15.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,486 to #14,959.
What does the Census say about the background of Crissman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crissman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Crissman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (1,772 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crissman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Crissman (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 Crissman mean?
Derived from a nickname for someone with curly hair, from the Middle English word "crisp," meaning curly. 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 Crissman (0.63 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 Crissman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.