Crowe last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Crowe is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Crowe.

Meaning of Crowe

An English and Irish surname referring to a person with dark hair or complexion, derived from the bird.

Crowe, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Crowe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Crowe in America

Crowe is the 1172nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Crowe surname appeared 29,953 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Crowe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Crowe to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 1172 1095 6.79%
Count 29,953 29,260 2.34%
Proportion per 100k 10.15 10.85 -6.67%

The history of the last name Crowe

The surname Crowe is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "crawe," which means "crow" and was likely a nickname given to someone who had a resemblance to the bird or lived near a rookery.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1195, where it appears as "Crawa." The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention a Henry Crowe from Norfolk. The name was also found in various medieval records and documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it was spelled "Crouwe."

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with names similar to Crowe, such as Crowell in Oxfordshire and Crowhurst in Surrey, suggesting that the name may have originated from a place name as well.

Notable individuals with the surname Crowe include:

  1. Sir Sackville Crowe (1590-1670), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1624-1625.
  2. William Crowe (1616-1675), an English clergyman and writer who served as the Vicar of Bampton, Oxfordshire.
  3. John Crowe (1701-1783), an English nonconformist minister and author who published several religious works.
  4. Eyre Crowe (1824-1910), an English artist known for his historical paintings and portraits.
  5. Walter Crowe (1876-1950), an English cricketer who played for Essex County Cricket Club in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The surname Crowe has been present in various parts of England for centuries, with concentrations in counties like Norfolk, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. Its longevity and prevalence in historical records highlight its deep roots in English history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Crowe

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Crowe.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Crowe was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 87.53% 26,218
Non-Hispanic Black Only 5.39% 1,614
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.52% 156
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.33% 698
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.04% 611
Hispanic Origin 2.19% 656

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Crowe has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 87.53% 89.45% -2.17%
Black 5.39% 5.24% 2.82%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.52% 0.36% 36.36%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 2.33% 2.13% 8.97%
Two or More Races 2.04% 1.56% 26.67%
Hispanic 2.19% 1.26% 53.91%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Crowe was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Crowe, please contact us.

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"Crowe last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 11, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/crowe-surname-popularity/.

"Crowe last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/crowe-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 December, 2024

Crowe last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/crowe-surname-popularity/.

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