2000
#13,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Cronan
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Cróinín," meaning "descendant of Crónán," a diminutive of "crón," meaning "saffron-colored."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,198 Americans carry the last name Cronan. That puts it at #14,840 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,939 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cronan 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 Cronan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 155,939
Census rank
#14,840
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,917 bearers of the surname Cronan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14840th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cronan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cronan
The surname Cronan has its origins in Ireland, where it first emerged as a Gaelic name during the medieval period. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "cron," which means "brown" or "swarthy," suggesting that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with a dark complexion or hair color.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cronan surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a Crunnan Ua Dunchadha, who was a notable figure in the 11th century and served as the chief poet of Leinster.
The Cronan name also appeared in various monastic records and charters throughout Ireland during the Middle Ages. For example, a Crunnan mac Maenaig is listed as a witness to a grant of land made by Diarmait MacMurchada, the King of Leinster, in the 12th century.
In the 16th century, the Cronan family was well-established in County Kilkenny, where they held lands and were considered a prominent Gaelic clan. One notable figure from this period was Pádraig Ó Cronáin (c. 1520 - c. 1590), who was a renowned Irish poet and historian.
As the Cronan name spread throughout Ireland, it also took on various spellings and variations, such as Cronin, Cronen, and Cronnon. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the anglicization of the name over time.
Other notable individuals with the Cronan surname throughout history include:
1. Daniel Cronan (1820 - 1891), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of New Orleans from 1860 to 1862.
2. John Cronan (1836 - 1913), an Irish-born American Catholic priest and educator who founded several schools and colleges in the United States.
3. James Cronan (1857 - 1939), an Irish-American labor leader and politician who served as the president of the American Federation of Labor from 1924 to 1925.
4. Michael Cronan (1834 - 1902), an Irish-born Australian politician and journalist who served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
5. Seán Ó Cronáin (1888 - 1968), an Irish writer and journalist who was a prominent figure in the Gaelic revival movement of the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cronan
Among Census respondents with the surname Cronan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cronan 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 Cronan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 1,741
- Two or more races4.4% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 60
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cronan
Cronan 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
#13,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,215
+179 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#14,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,917
-298 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,665 | 2,036 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,670 | 2,215 | 0.75 | +179 bearers (+8.8%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #14,840 | 1,917 | 0.64 | -298 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 1,170 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 Cronan 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 | #13,670 | #14,840 | -8.6% |
| Count | 2,215 | 1,917 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.64 | -14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cronan bearers went from 2,215 to 1,917 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 1,170 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,670 to #14,840.
FAQ
Cronan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cronan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,198 living Americans carry the surname Cronan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,939 residents.
How common is Cronan?
Cronan ranks #14,840 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,917 people with the surname Cronan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Cronan.
Has Cronan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cronan went from 2,215 recorded bearers to 1,917. That is a decrease of 298 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,670 to #14,840.
What does the Census say about the background of Cronan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cronan, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Cronan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (1,741 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cronan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Cronan (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 Cronan mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Cróinín," meaning "descendant of Crónán," a diminutive of "crón," meaning "saffron-colored." 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 Cronan (0.64 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 Cronan?
Find out how many people are called Cronan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.