2000
#5,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,374
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.36
Rare Last name
Crittenden
From an English place name meaning "creekside valley," or referring to someone living near a creek in a valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,051 Americans carry the last name Crittenden. That puts it at #5,469 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crittenden 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Crittenden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,611
Census rank
#5,469
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,149 bearers of the surname Crittenden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5469th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crittenden, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crittenden
The surname Crittenden is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "criddan" and "denu," meaning "chalky valley." This indicates that the earliest bearers of the name likely resided in a chalky valley region.
The name first appeared in historical records in the late 11th century Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 under the reign of William the Conqueror. Several entries list individuals with variations of the name, such as Cridandene and Critandene, residing in counties like Kent and Sussex.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John de Crittenden, born around 1220 in Kent. He was a landowner and held estates in the village of Crittenden, which likely took its name from the family.
In the 14th century, Richard Crittenden, born in 1312 in Sussex, was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London. He was known for his involvement in the wool trade and his philanthropic efforts.
During the Tudor period, Sir Thomas Crittenden (1505-1581) was a notable figure. Born in Kent, he served as a Member of Parliament and was appointed Sheriff of Kent in 1557.
The Crittenden family also had a presence in the American colonies. John Crittenden (1787-1863), born in Woodford County, Kentucky, was a prominent lawyer, politician, and Governor of Kentucky from 1848 to 1850.
Another notable American with the surname was John Jordan Crittenden (1809-1891), born in Russellville, Kentucky. He served as a United States Senator from Kentucky and was a prominent figure in the Union Army during the Civil War.
While the name has evolved in spelling over the centuries, with variations like Crittenden, Crittendon, and Crittington appearing, the origins can be traced back to the chalky valleys of southern England in the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crittenden
Among Census respondents with the surname Crittenden, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Crittenden 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 Crittenden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.1% · 3,695
- Black or African American25.5% · 1,565
- Two or more races5.9% · 362
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 280
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.4% · 207
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crittenden
Crittenden 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
#5,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,411
+37 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 383 places
2020
#5,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,149
-262 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,049 | 6,374 | 2.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,432 | 6,411 | 2.17 | +37 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 383 places |
| 2020 | #5,469 | 6,149 | 2.06 | -262 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 37 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 Crittenden 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 | #5,432 | #5,469 | -0.7% |
| Count | 6,411 | 6,149 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 2.06 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crittenden bearers went from 6,411 to 6,149 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,432 to #5,469.
FAQ
Crittenden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crittenden?
Name Census estimates that about 7,051 living Americans carry the surname Crittenden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,611 residents.
How common is Crittenden?
Crittenden ranks #5,469 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.06 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 6,149 people with the surname Crittenden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,051), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.06 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 Crittenden.
Has Crittenden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crittenden went from 6,411 recorded bearers to 6,149. That is a decrease of 262 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,432 to #5,469.
What does the Census say about the background of Crittenden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crittenden, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Crittenden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (3,695 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crittenden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.1%), Black (25.5%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Crittenden (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 Crittenden mean?
From an English place name meaning "creekside valley," or referring to someone living near a creek in a valley. 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 Crittenden (2.06 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 share the surname Crittenden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.