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

Crowley, 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 Crowley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Crowley in America

Crowley is the 1128th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Crowley surname appeared 31,098 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Crowley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Crowley 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.

The history of the last name Crowley

The surname Crowley is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "crou" meaning "crow" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow". It is believed to have originated in England during the 11th century, denoting someone who lived near a crow-infested meadow or woodland clearing.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which records a Leofric Crauley holding lands in Leicestershire. The name appears to have been initially concentrated in the West Midlands region of England, with various spellings such as Crouley, Crowleigh, and Craueley recorded in medieval documents.

Notable individuals bearing the Crowley surname include Aleister Crowley (1875-1947), the infamous English occultist, ceremonial magician, and writer; John Crowley (born 1942), an American author of fantasy and science fiction novels; Mart Crowley (1935-2020), an American playwright best known for his play "The Boys in the Band"; Robert Crowley (c. 1517-1588), an English Protestant churchman and polemical writer during the Reformation; and John Crowley (c. 1520-1589), an English Protestant printer and writer.

The surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Crowley in Lincolnshire, which was recorded as Croulai in the Domesday Book, and Crowley in Buckinghamshire, derived from the Old English words "crou" and "leah". These place names likely contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions of England.

Over the centuries, the Crowley surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, writers, and notable figures in religious and political spheres, reflecting the diverse histories and backgrounds associated with this name of Anglo-Saxon origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Crowley

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

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 Crowley was:

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 Crowley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Crowley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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