2000
#4,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.62
Rare Last name
Crites
Derived from the Middle English word "creat," referring to a type of woven fabric or a textile worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,817 Americans carry the last name Crites. That puts it at #4,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,847 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crites 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
7.8K
1 in 43,847
Census rank
#4,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,817 bearers of the surname Crites in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crites, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crites
The surname Crites has its origins in the Middle English period, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "criter," which means "to cry out" or "to proclaim." The name likely referred to a town crier or a herald, whose profession involved loudly announcing news and proclamations.
The earliest recorded instances of the Crites surname can be found in various historical records from England, such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where the name is spelled as "Crytor." This variation in spelling was common during the medieval period due to the lack of standardized orthography.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a document commissioned by William the Conqueror to survey the lands of England, there are no direct references to the Crites surname. However, it does mention individuals with similar occupational names, such as "crieurs" (criers) or "heraudz" (heralds).
One of the earliest known bearers of the Crites surname was Sir John Crites, a prominent English knight who lived during the reign of Edward III in the 14th century. He served as a member of the King's Council and participated in the Hundred Years' War against France.
Another notable figure was Thomas Crites (1550-1610), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works, including "A Treatise on the Sacraments" and "Sermons on the Lord's Prayer."
In the 16th century, the Crites family established themselves in the county of Norfolk, England. This is evident from the records of the Visitation of Norfolk in 1563, which documented the pedigrees of the gentry families in the region.
During the 17th century, the spelling of the surname evolved further, with variations such as "Crites," "Crytes," and "Critts" appearing in various records. One notable individual from this period was Sir Edward Crites (1635-1707), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Thetford.
In the 18th century, the Crites surname spread beyond England to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. For example, James Crites (1720-1785) was a Scottish merchant and explorer who established trading posts in the Hudson Bay region of Canada.
As the surname Crites continued to evolve and spread throughout the centuries, it became associated with various occupations and social statuses, from military officers and clergymen to merchants and explorers. While the origins of the name can be traced back to the medieval profession of town criers, it has since taken on a diverse range of meanings and connotations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crites
Among Census respondents with the surname Crites, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Crites 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 Crites surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 6,210
- Two or more races4.2% · 289
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 227
- Black or African American0.5% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crites
Crites 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
#4,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,363
+302 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#4,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,817
-546 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,599 | 7,061 | 2.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,799 | 7,363 | 2.50 | +302 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #4,992 | 6,817 | 2.28 | -546 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 193 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 Crites 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 | #4,799 | #4,992 | -4.0% |
| Count | 7,363 | 6,817 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.50 | 2.28 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crites bearers went from 7,363 to 6,817 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 193 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,799 to #4,992.
FAQ
Crites surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crites?
Name Census estimates that about 7,817 living Americans carry the surname Crites. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,847 residents.
How common is Crites?
Crites ranks #4,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,817 people with the surname Crites. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,817), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Crites.
Has Crites become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crites went from 7,363 recorded bearers to 6,817. That is a decrease of 546 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,799 to #4,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Crites?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crites, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Crites in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (6,210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crites appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Crites (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 Crites mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "creat," referring to a type of woven fabric or a textile worker. 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 Crites (2.28 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 Crites?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.