2000
#80,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Cromack
A Northern English surname derived from the Middle English "crome", meaning a bent or crooked person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 214 Americans carry the last name Cromack. That puts it at #102,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,601,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cromack 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 Cromack with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
214
1 in 1,601,656
Census rank
#102,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
187
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 187 bearers of the surname Cromack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 102571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cromack, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cromack
The surname Cromack has its origins in Scotland, with records indicating it first emerged in the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic phrase "crom achadh," which translates to "crooked field" or "bent field." This suggests the name may have originally referred to a person who lived near or worked on a crooked or irregularly shaped plot of land.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the Clan Mackay, a Scottish clan based in the far north of the Scottish Highlands. In these records, a person named Angus Cromack is mentioned as a member of the clan in the late 1400s. This suggests the name had already become established in this region by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various legal documents and court records from the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the areas around Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders. A notable example is Robert Cromack, a merchant from Haddington who was involved in a legal dispute over a land transaction in 1542.
As the name spread throughout Scotland, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Cromak, Crommack, and Crummock. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name outside of Scotland was John Cromack, an English soldier who fought in the English Civil War during the 1640s. He is mentioned in several accounts of battles and campaigns, suggesting he may have been a notable figure within the Parliamentarian forces.
Another notable individual with the surname was William Cromack, a Scottish philosopher and educator who lived in the late 17th century. He was a professor at the University of Edinburgh and wrote several influential works on moral philosophy and ethics.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various records from the American colonies, indicating that some Cromacks had emigrated from Scotland to the New World. One such individual was James Cromack, a merchant from Boston who was involved in the colonial trade with the West Indies in the 1770s.
Throughout the 19th century, the Cromack surname continued to be found in Scotland, England, and the United States, with some individuals achieving notable positions. For example, David Cromack was a successful businessman and philanthropist in Philadelphia in the mid-1800s, known for his support of various charitable causes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cromack
Among Census respondents with the surname Cromack, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cromack 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 Cromack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 174
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 2
- Two or more races0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cromack
Cromack 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
#89,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 206
-12 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 8,941 places
2020
#102,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
-19 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 12,818 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80,812 | 218 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,753 | 206 | 0.07 | -12 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 8,941 places |
| 2020 | #102,571 | 187 | 0.06 | -19 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 12,818 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 Cromack 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 | #89,753 | #102,571 | -14.3% |
| Count | 206 | 187 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cromack bearers went from 206 to 187 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 12,818 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,753 to #102,571.
FAQ
Cromack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cromack?
Name Census estimates that about 214 living Americans carry the surname Cromack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,601,656 residents.
How common is Cromack?
Cromack ranks #102,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 187 people with the surname Cromack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Cromack.
Has Cromack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cromack went from 206 recorded bearers to 187. That is a decrease of 19 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,753 to #102,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Cromack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cromack, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Cromack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (174 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cromack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (4.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Cromack (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 Cromack mean?
A Northern English surname derived from the Middle English "crome", meaning a bent or crooked person. 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 Cromack (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Cromack?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.