2000
#10,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,735
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Croce
Derived from the Italian word for "cross," likely referring to someone who lived near a cross or crucifix.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,949 Americans carry the last name Croce. That puts it at #11,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Croce 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 Croce with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,227
Census rank
#11,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,572 bearers of the surname Croce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Croce, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Croce
The surname Croce is of Italian origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Italian word "croce," which means "cross." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a cross or crossroads, or for someone who was a bearer of the cross during religious processions.
The earliest known record of the name Croce appears in a document from the city of Genoa, Italy, dated 1276. This document mentions a certain "Nicolaus Croce," who was a merchant involved in trade with the Byzantine Empire.
In the 14th century, the name Croce can be found in various historical records from various regions of Italy, including Tuscany, Umbria, and Naples. One notable example is the philosopher and writer Benedetto Croce, who was born in 1866 in Pescasseroli, Italy, and died in 1952. He was a highly influential figure in the fields of aesthetics, historiography, and literary criticism.
Another notable bearer of the name Croce was the Italian painter and architect Baldassare Croce, who lived from 1553 to 1628. He is best known for his work on the Church of Sant'Andrea della Valle in Rome.
In the 16th century, the name Croce also appears in records from the city of Venice, where it was sometimes spelled as "Croxe" or "Crose." One example is the Venetian painter Jacopo Croce, who lived from 1535 to 1600.
The surname Croce has also been associated with various place names in Italy. For instance, there is a town called Crocetta del Montello in the province of Treviso, which may have derived its name from the Italian word "crocetta," meaning "little cross."
Over the centuries, the name Croce has been borne by several other notable individuals, including the Italian philosopher and politician Carlo Croce (1805-1873), the Italian artist Giulio Croce (1550-1609), and the Italian botanist and physician Bartolomeo Croce (1460-1525).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Croce
Among Census respondents with the surname Croce, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Croce 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 Croce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 2,315
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 158
- Two or more races2.4% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Croce
Croce 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
#11,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,678
-57 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 990 places
2020
#11,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,572
-106 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,714 | 2,735 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,704 | 2,678 | 0.91 | -57 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 990 places |
| 2020 | #11,668 | 2,572 | 0.86 | -106 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 36 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 Croce 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 | #11,704 | #11,668 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,678 | 2,572 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.86 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Croce bearers went from 2,678 to 2,572 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,704 to #11,668.
FAQ
Croce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Croce?
Name Census estimates that about 2,949 living Americans carry the surname Croce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,227 residents.
How common is Croce?
Croce ranks #11,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,572 people with the surname Croce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,949), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Croce.
Has Croce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Croce went from 2,678 recorded bearers to 2,572. That is a decrease of 106 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,704 to #11,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Croce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Croce, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Croce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (2,315 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Croce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Croce (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 Croce mean?
Derived from the Italian word for "cross," likely referring to someone who lived near a cross or crucifix. 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 Croce (0.86 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 Croce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.