2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Crolius
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "victorious ruler".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Crolius. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crolius 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Crolius in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crolius, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crolius
The surname Crolius originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "krol," which means "curl" or "crisp," possibly referring to a person with curly hair or a particular hairstyle. The name may have also been associated with a place name or occupation related to hair or wigs.
Records indicate that the earliest known occurrence of the Crolius surname can be traced back to the city of Amsterdam in the late 1500s. One of the first documented individuals bearing this name was Jan Crolius, a merchant who lived in Amsterdam in the early 1600s.
In the 17th century, some members of the Crolius family migrated to the Dutch colonies in North America, particularly New Netherland, which later became New York. One notable individual was Hendrick Crolius, born in 1640, who was among the early settlers in what is now Brooklyn.
During the 18th century, the Crolius surname appeared in various historical documents and records in both the Netherlands and the American colonies. For instance, Pieter Crolius, born in 1725 in Amsterdam, was a renowned painter and engraver who gained recognition for his landscapes and cityscape works.
In the 19th century, the Crolius family continued to establish roots in the United States. One prominent figure was John Crolius (1808-1878), a successful businessman and philanthropist from New York City who founded the Crolius Iron Works and contributed to the development of the city's infrastructure.
Another notable individual was Gerrit Crolius (1843-1912), a Dutch-American writer and journalist who was a vocal advocate for Dutch-American culture and played a significant role in preserving and promoting the Dutch language in the United States.
Throughout history, the Crolius surname has been associated with various professions and achievements, from merchants and artists to industrialists and writers. While the name may have originated from a specific region or occupation, it has since spread across different parts of the world, particularly in the Netherlands and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crolius
Among Census respondents with the surname Crolius, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Crolius 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 Crolius surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 6
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crolius
Crolius 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,418 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,292 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,418 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,292 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 Crolius 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 | #148,347 | #151,639 | -2.2% |
| Count | 111 | 107 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crolius bearers went from 111 to 107 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,292 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #151,639.
FAQ
Crolius surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crolius?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Crolius. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Crolius?
Crolius ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Crolius. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Crolius.
Has Crolius become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crolius went from 111 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Crolius?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crolius, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Crolius in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crolius appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Crolius (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 Crolius mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "victorious ruler". 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 Crolius (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 Crolius?
Want to know how common the surname Crolius is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.