2000
#4,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,963
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.95
Rare Last name
Cromer
A locational surname referring to a person from Cromer, a town in Norfolk, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,626 Americans carry the last name Cromer. That puts it at #4,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,735 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cromer 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 Cromer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,735
Census rank
#4,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,522 bearers of the surname Cromer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cromer, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cromer
The surname Cromer is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the town of Cromer in Norfolk, England, which was recorded as early as the 11th century in the Domesday Book as "Craumere" and "Crowemera." The name is thought to derive from the Old English words "crawan" meaning "crow" and "mere" meaning "lake" or "pool."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cromer can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, a census-like record from 1273, where a John de Craumere is mentioned. This suggests that the surname had already been adopted by some families living in or near the town of Cromer by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various records, including the Feet of Fines for Norfolk from 1349, which mentions a William de Cromer. Additionally, the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Norfolk in 1381 list a John Cromer and a Robert Cromer, indicating the name's continued use in the region.
One notable figure with the surname Cromer was Sir James Cromer (c. 1545-1613), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Norfolk during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was Martin Cromer (c. 1637-1720), a German historian and philosopher who served as the Rector of the University of Marburg.
In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Cromer, Crommer, and Cromere, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling during that period. The variant spelling "Cromere" is found in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Cromer, Norfolk, from the 1500s.
Other notable bearers of the surname Cromer include John Cromer (c. 1778-1848), an English antiquarian and topographer who wrote extensively about Norfolk, and George Cromer (1840-1909), an American politician who served as the 13th Governor of Maryland from 1908 to 1912.
While the surname Cromer has its roots in England, particularly in the county of Norfolk, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its historical origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the town of Cromer in Norfolk, where the name is believed to have originated from the local geographical features.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cromer
Among Census respondents with the surname Cromer, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cromer 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 Cromer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 5,928
- Black or African American13.4% · 1,009
- Two or more races3.7% · 281
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 231
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cromer
Cromer 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
#4,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,952
-11 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 345 places
2020
#4,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,522
-430 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.52
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,120 | 7,963 | 2.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,465 | 7,952 | 2.70 | -11 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 345 places |
| 2020 | #4,570 | 7,522 | 2.52 | -430 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 105 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 Cromer 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 | #4,465 | #4,570 | -2.4% |
| Count | 7,952 | 7,522 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.70 | 2.52 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cromer bearers went from 7,952 to 7,522 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,465 to #4,570.
FAQ
Cromer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cromer?
Name Census estimates that about 8,626 living Americans carry the surname Cromer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,735 residents.
How common is Cromer?
Cromer ranks #4,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,522 people with the surname Cromer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,626), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Cromer.
Has Cromer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cromer went from 7,952 recorded bearers to 7,522. That is a decrease of 430 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,465 to #4,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Cromer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cromer, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Cromer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (5,928 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cromer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Cromer (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 Cromer mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from Cromer, a town in Norfolk, England. 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 Cromer (2.52 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 Cromer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.