2000
#12,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,389
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Crotts
Possibly derived from the Old English word "crot," meaning a small field or enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,460 Americans carry the last name Crotts. That puts it at #13,547 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crotts 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.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,331
Census rank
#13,547
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,145 bearers of the surname Crotts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13547th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crotts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crotts
The surname Crotts is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "croft," which referred to a small enclosed field or meadow. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or worked on a croft.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Crotts can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, where it appears as "de Croftes." This indicates that the name was originally a locative surname, used to identify someone from a specific place.
In the 14th century, the name was also recorded in various spellings, such as "Croft," "Crofte," and "Croftes," reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling during that time period. The Crotts family was likely based in the counties of Huntingdonshire, Northamptonshire, and Leicestershire, where the name was most prevalent.
One notable individual bearing the name Crotts was John Crotts, who was born in Northamptonshire in the late 15th century. He was a prosperous landowner and served as a local magistrate during the reign of Henry VIII.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Crotts, born in 1612 in Leicestershire. She was a prominent Puritan and played an active role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentary cause.
In the 17th century, the name Crotts also appeared in various official records, such as parish registers and court documents. One example is the marriage of William Crotts and Anne Browne, recorded in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Northamptonshire in 1683.
During the 18th century, the Crotts family continued to flourish, with members settling in various parts of England. One notable individual was Robert Crotts, born in 1726 in Huntingdonshire, who became a successful merchant and was involved in the East India trade.
Another significant figure was Thomas Crotts, born in 1788 in Leicestershire. He was a prominent industrialist and played a crucial role in the development of the textile industry in the Midlands region of England.
While the Crotts surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, it has retained its connection to its Old English roots, reflecting the historical significance of the name and its association with the lands and communities of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crotts
Among Census respondents with the surname Crotts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Crotts 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 Crotts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 2,016
- Two or more races3.1% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crotts
Crotts 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
#12,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,467
+78 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 554 places
2020
#13,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,145
-322 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 993 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,000 | 2,389 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,554 | 2,467 | 0.84 | +78 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 554 places |
| 2020 | #13,547 | 2,145 | 0.72 | -322 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 993 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 Crotts 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 | #12,554 | #13,547 | -7.9% |
| Count | 2,467 | 2,145 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.72 | -14.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crotts bearers went from 2,467 to 2,145 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 993 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,554 to #13,547.
FAQ
Crotts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crotts?
Name Census estimates that about 2,460 living Americans carry the surname Crotts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,331 residents.
How common is Crotts?
Crotts ranks #13,547 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,145 people with the surname Crotts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,460), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Crotts.
Has Crotts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crotts went from 2,467 recorded bearers to 2,145. That is a decrease of 322 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,554 to #13,547.
What does the Census say about the background of Crotts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crotts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Crotts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (2,016 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crotts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Crotts (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 Crotts mean?
Possibly derived from the Old English word "crot," meaning a small field or enclosure. 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 Crotts (0.72 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 Crotts?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Crotts at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.