2000
#6,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,416
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Crossman
An occupational surname referring to a crossbow maker or archer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,974 Americans carry the last name Crossman. That puts it at #7,414 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,909 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crossman 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 Crossman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,909
Census rank
#7,414
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,338 bearers of the surname Crossman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7414th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crossman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crossman
The surname Crossman originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "cros" meaning "cross" and "man" meaning "person". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a cross, which was a common landmark in towns and villages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Crossman dates back to 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. This document lists a Thomas Crosman, indicating the surname's early spelling variations. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, mentioning a John Crosseman.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across England. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire from 1332 documented a William Crosseman, while the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1381 listed a John Crossman. These entries suggest the name's presence in different regions during this period.
The Crossman surname is also linked to several place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Crossman in Dorset, which may have influenced the surname's origins or spelling variations.
One notable figure with the surname Crossman was Sir William Crossman, who lived in the 16th century. He was a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament for Colchester in 1553. Another individual of note was Robert Crossman, born in 1584, who was a renowned Anglican clergyman and author.
In the 17th century, the Crossman name appeared in various parish records. William Crossman, born in 1612 in Taunton, Somerset, was a respected merchant and landowner. Samuel Crossman, born in 1623 in Wiltshire, was a renowned English poet and preacher.
During the 18th century, the name continued to be documented in various regions of England. John Crossman, born in 1745 in Gloucestershire, was a notable clockmaker and inventor. Thomas Crossman, born in 1778 in Yorkshire, was a celebrated artist known for his landscape paintings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crossman
Among Census respondents with the surname Crossman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Crossman 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 Crossman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 3,863
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 158
- Black or African American3.5% · 152
- Two or more races2.9% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crossman
Crossman 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
#7,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,497
+81 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 403 places
2020
#7,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,338
-159 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,999 | 4,416 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,402 | 4,497 | 1.52 | +81 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 403 places |
| 2020 | #7,414 | 4,338 | 1.45 | -159 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 12 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 Crossman 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 | #7,402 | #7,414 | -0.2% |
| Count | 4,497 | 4,338 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.45 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crossman bearers went from 4,497 to 4,338 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,402 to #7,414.
FAQ
Crossman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crossman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,974 living Americans carry the surname Crossman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,909 residents.
How common is Crossman?
Crossman ranks #7,414 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,338 people with the surname Crossman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,974), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Crossman.
Has Crossman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crossman went from 4,497 recorded bearers to 4,338. That is a decrease of 159 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,402 to #7,414.
What does the Census say about the background of Crossman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crossman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Crossman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (3,863 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crossman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (3.5%). 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 Crossman (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 Crossman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a crossbow maker or archer. 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 Crossman (1.45 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 have the surname Crossman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.