2000
#3,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,806
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.64
Uncommon Last name
Crooks
A surname referring to someone with a crooked back, a cripple, or a dishonest or unscrupulous person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,694 Americans carry the last name Crooks. That puts it at #3,423 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,310 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crooks 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 Crooks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,310
Census rank
#3,423
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,198 bearers of the surname Crooks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3423rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crooks, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crooks
The surname Crooks has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word 'croc', which means 'a crooked person' or someone who lived near a bend or crook in a road or river.
One of the earliest known records of the name Crooks appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Croc'. This suggests that the name was already established in England before the Norman Conquest.
The name Crooks was initially more prevalent in northern England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is believed that the name may have been associated with place names such as Crookhill, Crookham, or Crooklands, which all contain the Old English word 'croc'.
One notable bearer of the Crooks surname was John Crooks (c. 1505-1559), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Stow and Lindsey in Lincolnshire. Another notable figure was Sir John Crooks (1630-1699), a British merchant and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the establishment of the Bank of England.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, several variations of the name appeared, such as Crookes, Crook, and Crookys. However, the spelling 'Crooks' became more standardized over time.
The Crooks surname also has a presence in Scotland, where it may have originated as a nickname or as a variant of the Scottish surname 'Crook'. One notable Scottish bearer of the name was William Crooks (1828-1897), a Scottish-born American minister and educator who co-founded the University of Denver.
Another prominent individual with the Crooks surname was Will D. Crooks (1852-1921), an English trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and played a significant role in the Labour movement in the early 20th century.
Overall, the surname Crooks has a long and rich history, with its origins dating back to medieval England. It has been borne by notable figures across various fields, including religion, politics, and commerce, and continues to be a distinctive surname today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crooks
Among Census respondents with the surname Crooks, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Crooks 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 Crooks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.7% · 7,213
- Black or African American19.7% · 2,004
- Two or more races4.3% · 438
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 382
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crooks
Crooks 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
#3,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,244
+438 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.47
Rank movement Down 148 places
2020
#3,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,198
-46 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Up 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,341 | 9,806 | 3.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,489 | 10,244 | 3.47 | +438 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 148 places |
| 2020 | #3,423 | 10,198 | 3.41 | -46 bearers (-0.4%) | Up 66 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 Crooks 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 | #3,489 | #3,423 | 1.9% |
| Count | 10,244 | 10,198 | -0.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.47 | 3.41 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crooks bearers went from 10,244 to 10,198 (-0.4% change). The surname moved up 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,489 to #3,423.
FAQ
Crooks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crooks?
Name Census estimates that about 11,694 living Americans carry the surname Crooks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,310 residents.
How common is Crooks?
Crooks ranks #3,423 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.41 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 10,198 people with the surname Crooks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,694), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.41 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 Crooks.
Has Crooks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crooks went from 10,244 recorded bearers to 10,198. That is a decrease of 46 (-0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,489 to #3,423.
What does the Census say about the background of Crooks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crooks, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Crooks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.7% (7,213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crooks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.7%), Black (19.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Crooks (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 Crooks mean?
A surname referring to someone with a crooked back, a cripple, or a dishonest or unscrupulous 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 Crooks (3.41 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 common is the surname Crooks?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Crooks on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.