2000
#8,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.25
Rare Last name
Cropper
An occupational surname referring to someone who harvested or gathered crops.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,832 Americans carry the last name Cropper. That puts it at #9,348 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cropper 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 Cropper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,445
Census rank
#9,348
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,342 bearers of the surname Cropper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9348th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cropper, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cropper
The surname Cropper is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word "crop" or "cropp," meaning "harvest" or "top of a plant." It was originally given to someone who worked as a crop gatherer or harvester.
This name is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire, where agriculture and crop harvesting were prevalent. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, when a Robert le Croper was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1285.
The Cropper surname can be traced back to various place names in England, such as Cropper's Hill in Cheshire and Cropper's Green in Lancashire. The spelling variations of the name included Croper, Cropper, Croppur, and Croppere.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Sir John Cropper (1588-1645), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1637. He was a wealthy member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and played a significant role in the English Civil War.
Another prominent individual with this surname was James Cropper (1773-1840), a British businessman and philanthropist from Westmorland. He was a pioneering paper manufacturer and an advocate for social reforms, particularly in the abolition of slavery and the promotion of education.
In literature, the name Cropper is associated with the character Mrs. Cropper, a housekeeper in the novel "Cranford" by Elizabeth Gaskell, published in 1853. This fictional character exemplified the pragmatic and hardworking nature often associated with the Cropper surname.
Other notable individuals with the Cropper surname include John Cropper (1756-1821), a British industrialist and inventor who improved the process of calico printing, and William Cropper (1711-1781), an English clockmaker and mathematician known for his contributions to timekeeping and navigation.
While the Cropper surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cropper
Among Census respondents with the surname Cropper, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cropper 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 Cropper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 2,379
- Black or African American19.4% · 650
- Two or more races4.5% · 152
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 130
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cropper
Cropper 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
#8,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,669
+284 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 24 places
2020
#9,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,342
-327 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Down 428 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,896 | 3,385 | 1.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,920 | 3,669 | 1.24 | +284 bearers (+8.4%) | Down 24 places |
| 2020 | #9,348 | 3,342 | 1.12 | -327 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 428 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 Cropper 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 | #8,920 | #9,348 | -4.8% |
| Count | 3,669 | 3,342 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.12 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cropper bearers went from 3,669 to 3,342 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 428 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,920 to #9,348.
FAQ
Cropper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cropper?
Name Census estimates that about 3,832 living Americans carry the surname Cropper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,445 residents.
How common is Cropper?
Cropper ranks #9,348 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,342 people with the surname Cropper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,832), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Cropper.
Has Cropper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cropper went from 3,669 recorded bearers to 3,342. That is a decrease of 327 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,920 to #9,348.
What does the Census say about the background of Cropper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cropper, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cropper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (2,379 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cropper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.2%), Black (19.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Cropper (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 Cropper mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who harvested or gathered crops. 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 Cropper (1.12 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 Cropper?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Cropper on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.