2000
#9,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,003
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Crowl
Derived from a nickname for a cantankerous, irritable, or boisterous person, from Middle English "crowle" meaning "to grumble."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,176 Americans carry the last name Crowl. That puts it at #10,976 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crowl 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 Crowl with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,920
Census rank
#10,976
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,770 bearers of the surname Crowl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10976th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowl, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crowl
The surname "CROWL" has its origins in England, dating back to the late 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "crāwe," which means "crow." It is believed that the name was originally a nickname given to someone who had a resemblance to a crow or exhibited crow-like behavior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1198, where a person named Robert Croul is mentioned. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled "Croul" and "Croule."
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, and Lincolnshire. It is possible that the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Crowle in Lincolnshire or Crole in Somerset.
Notable individuals with the surname "CROWL" include John Crowl, a member of the Parliament of England in 1388. Another notable figure was William Crowl, who was a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the surname evolved into various spellings, such as "Crowell," "Crowle," and "Crowel." One notable bearer of the name during this period was Thomas Crowle, who was a member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers in London in 1583.
The 17th century saw the emergence of several prominent individuals with the surname "CROWL." Sir Sackville Crowl was a lawyer and Member of Parliament for East Grinstead in 1628. Another notable figure was Robert Crowle, a clergyman and author who published works on theology in the mid-17th century.
As the surname spread across England and beyond, different variations emerged, such as "Crawl," "Croul," and "Croull." In the 18th century, John Crawl was a successful merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, while in the 19th century, Thomas Croull was a Scottish poet and writer who published works on Scottish history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crowl
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowl, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Crowl 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 Crowl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 2,462
- Two or more races4.0% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 82
- Black or African American2.4% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crowl
Crowl 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
#10,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,983
-20 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 802 places
2020
#10,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,770
-213 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 265 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,909 | 3,003 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,711 | 2,983 | 1.01 | -20 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 802 places |
| 2020 | #10,976 | 2,770 | 0.93 | -213 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 265 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 Crowl 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 | #10,711 | #10,976 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,983 | 2,770 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.93 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crowl bearers went from 2,983 to 2,770 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 265 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,711 to #10,976.
FAQ
Crowl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crowl?
Name Census estimates that about 3,176 living Americans carry the surname Crowl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,920 residents.
How common is Crowl?
Crowl ranks #10,976 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,770 people with the surname Crowl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Crowl.
Has Crowl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crowl went from 2,983 recorded bearers to 2,770. That is a decrease of 213 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,711 to #10,976.
What does the Census say about the background of Crowl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowl, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Crowl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (2,462 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crowl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Crowl (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 Crowl mean?
Derived from a nickname for a cantankerous, irritable, or boisterous person, from Middle English "crowle" meaning "to grumble." 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 Crowl (0.93 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 are called Crowl?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Crowl, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.