2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Croat
An ethnic surname referring to someone from Croatia or of Croatian descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Croat. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Croat 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Croat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Croat, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Croat
The surname "Croat" originated from the region of Croatia, a country located in Southeastern Europe. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries, when the Croats established their kingdom and consolidated their identity as a distinct ethnic group.
The name "Croat" is derived from the Slavic word "Hrvat," which refers to the Croat people. This term has its roots in the Proto-Slavic language and is thought to have evolved from an older word, possibly meaning "mountaineer" or "highlander," reflecting the geography of the region where the Croats initially settled.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Croat" can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Regni Croatiae, Dalmatiae et Slavoniae," a collection of historical documents from the 9th to the 15th centuries. This collection includes references to individuals bearing the name, indicating its existence during the medieval period.
Notable historical figures who bore the surname "Croat" include Petar Croat (c. 1460-1530), a Croatian humanist and writer who made significant contributions to the development of the Croatian language and literature. Another prominent individual was Marko Croat (c. 1510-1585), a Croatian military commander who fought against the Ottoman Empire.
In the 17th century, Ivan Croat (1600-1680) was a Croatian priest and scholar who wrote extensively on theological and philosophical topics. During the 18th century, Antun Croat (1720-1795) was a Croatian painter and architect known for his works in the Baroque style.
The surname "Croat" has also been associated with various place names and geographical locations within Croatia. For example, the town of Croat Lug (meaning "Croat Grove") in central Croatia derives its name from the presence of Croat settlers in the area.
It's important to note that while "Croat" is a surname with deep historical roots in Croatia, it has also been adopted by individuals of Croatian descent living in other parts of the world, particularly in immigrant communities and diasporas.
Overall, the surname "Croat" reflects the rich cultural heritage and history of the Croatian people, serving as a tangible link to their origins and identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Croat
Among Census respondents with the surname Croat, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Croat 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 Croat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 95
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Croat
Croat 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,151 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-5 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 775 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 14,151 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 775 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 Croat 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 | #154,907 | #155,682 | -0.5% |
| Count | 105 | 100 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Croat bearers went from 105 to 100 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 775 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #155,682.
FAQ
Croat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Croat?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Croat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Croat?
Croat ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Croat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Croat.
Has Croat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Croat went from 105 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Croat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Croat, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Croat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Croat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Croat (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 Croat mean?
An ethnic surname referring to someone from Croatia or of Croatian descent. 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 Croat (0.03 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 common is the surname Croat?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Croat is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.