2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Critch
An English surname derived from a geographical name referring to a crag or cliff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Critch. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Critch 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Critch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Critch, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Critch
The surname Critch is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cric," meaning a creek or small stream, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or by a small watercourse.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Critch name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where it appears as "Crich." This document was a survey of landowners and their estates, indicating that individuals bearing this surname were present in the region during that time.
The Critch name has also been associated with several place names throughout England, such as Critchfield in Gloucestershire and Critch Hill in Oxfordshire. These place names likely originated from the same Old English root, further solidifying the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.
Interestingly, the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Critch surname. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Crichel in Dorset and Crich in Derbyshire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the Critch surname was John Critch, who was born in Gloucestershire around 1510. Another notable figure was Thomas Critch, a merchant and landowner from Oxfordshire, who lived during the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure was William Critch, a wealthy landowner and businessman from Somerset, who was born in 1625 and died in 1698. His son, also named William Critch, was a notable scholar and theologian who attended Oxford University in the late 1600s.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable bearer of the Critch name was Robert Critch, a prominent lawyer and judge in London, who lived from 1720 to 1798. He was known for his involvement in several high-profile legal cases during his career.
As the centuries progressed, the Critch surname continued to be represented by individuals across various professions and walks of life, further establishing its presence throughout England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Critch
Among Census respondents with the surname Critch, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Critch 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 Critch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino12.2% · 14
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Critch
Critch 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,567 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-13 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,551 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,567 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 13,551 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 Critch 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 | #132,206 | #145,757 | -10.2% |
| Count | 128 | 115 | -10.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Critch bearers went from 128 to 115 (-10.2% change). The surname moved down 13,551 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #145,757.
FAQ
Critch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Critch?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Critch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Critch?
Critch ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Critch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Critch.
Has Critch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Critch went from 128 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Critch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Critch, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Critch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Critch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Hispanic (12.2%), Black (0.9%). 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 Critch (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 Critch mean?
An English surname derived from a geographical name referring to a crag or cliff. 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 Critch (0.04 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 are called Critch?
See how common the surname Critch is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.