2000
#10,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,958
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Crosson
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Crosáin, meaning "descendant of Crosán," derived from the Irish word "cros," meaning "cross."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,342 Americans carry the last name Crosson. That puts it at #10,505 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crosson 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 Crosson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 102,560
Census rank
#10,505
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,914 bearers of the surname Crosson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10505th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crosson, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crosson
The surname Crosson has its origins in Ireland and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "crosán," which means "little cross" or "crosslet." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a crossroads or a place marked by a small cross.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Crosson can be found in ancient Irish manuscripts and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century, which mentions several individuals with the Crosson surname.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Domhnall Crosson, a Irish chieftain who lived in the 14th century. He was a member of the powerful O'Conor clan and ruled over a territory in what is now County Roscommon.
In the 16th century, the Crosson name appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official documents from the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. These records indicate that the Crosson family held lands in various parts of Ireland during this period.
Another notable figure bearing the Crosson surname was Patrick Crosson, a Catholic priest who lived in the 17th century. He was born in County Leitrim in 1629 and is remembered for his efforts to preserve Irish language and culture during a time of religious persecution.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Crosson family settled in County Donegal, where they became prominent landowners and merchants. One member of this branch, John Crosson (1745-1825), served as a captain in the Irish Volunteers during the American Revolutionary War.
As the Crosson name spread throughout Ireland and beyond, it also became associated with various place names and locations. For example, there is a townland called Crossone in County Armagh, which may have derived its name from the Crosson family.
Other notable individuals with the Crosson surname include:
1. James Crosson (1804-1880), an Irish-American politician who served as the 16th Governor of Connecticut.
2. Kathleen Crosson (1876-1954), an Irish novelist and poet known for her works exploring themes of Irish identity and culture.
3. Michael Crosson (1928-2013), an American philosopher and academic who taught at Yale University and wrote extensively on the philosophy of language.
4. Seán Crosson (1937-2021), an Irish hurler who played for the Kilkenny senior team and won three All-Ireland medals.
5. Mary Crosson (1959-present), an American actress and voice artist known for her work in animated films and television shows.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crosson
Among Census respondents with the surname Crosson, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Crosson 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 Crosson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.1% · 2,277
- Black or African American13.7% · 398
- Two or more races4.0% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crosson
Crosson 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
#10,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,085
+127 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 380 places
2020
#10,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,914
-171 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,049 | 2,958 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,429 | 3,085 | 1.05 | +127 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 380 places |
| 2020 | #10,505 | 2,914 | 0.97 | -171 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 76 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 Crosson 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 | #10,429 | #10,505 | -0.7% |
| Count | 3,085 | 2,914 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.97 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crosson bearers went from 3,085 to 2,914 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,429 to #10,505.
FAQ
Crosson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crosson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,342 living Americans carry the surname Crosson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,560 residents.
How common is Crosson?
Crosson ranks #10,505 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,914 people with the surname Crosson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,342), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Crosson.
Has Crosson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crosson went from 3,085 recorded bearers to 2,914. That is a decrease of 171 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,429 to #10,505.
What does the Census say about the background of Crosson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crosson, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Crosson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (2,277 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crosson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.1%), Black (13.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Crosson (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 Crosson mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Crosáin, meaning "descendant of Crosán," derived from the Irish word "cros," meaning "cross." 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 Crosson (0.97 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 last name Crosson?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Crosson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.