2000
#1,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,416
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.28
Uncommon Last name
Crowley
Derived from the Irish surname O'Cruadhlaoich, meaning "descendant of the hard hero" or "descendant of the hardy warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 34,427 Americans carry the last name Crowley. That puts it at #1,149 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,956 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crowley 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 Crowley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 9,956
Census rank
#1,149
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,022 bearers of the surname Crowley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1149th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crowley
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Crowley 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 Crowley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 26,295
- Black or African American5.2% · 1,561
- Two or more races3.2% · 970
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 881
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 224
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 91
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crowley
Crowley 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
#1,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,098
+682 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 10.54
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#1,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,022
-1,076 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 10.04
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,051 | 30,416 | 11.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,128 | 31,098 | 10.54 | +682 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #1,149 | 30,022 | 10.04 | -1,076 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 21 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 Crowley 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 | #1,128 | #1,149 | -1.9% |
| Count | 31,098 | 30,022 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 10.54 | 10.04 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crowley bearers went from 31,098 to 30,022 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,128 to #1,149.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Crowley
FAQ
Crowley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crowley?
Name Census estimates that about 34,427 living Americans carry the surname Crowley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,956 residents.
How common is Crowley?
Crowley ranks #1,149 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,022 people with the surname Crowley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (34,427), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Crowley.
Has Crowley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crowley went from 31,098 recorded bearers to 30,022. That is a decrease of 1,076 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,128 to #1,149.
What does the Census say about the background of Crowley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowley, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Crowley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (26,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crowley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Crowley (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 Crowley mean?
Derived from the Irish surname O'Cruadhlaoich, meaning "descendant of the hard hero" or "descendant of the hardy warrior." 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 Crowley (10.04 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 Crowley?
If you just want to know how many people are called Crowley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.