2000
#11,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,634
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Crowson
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English word "crawa," meaning crow, likely referring to a crow hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,845 Americans carry the last name Crowson. That puts it at #12,011 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crowson 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 Crowson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 120,476
Census rank
#12,011
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,481 bearers of the surname Crowson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12011th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crowson
The surname Crowson has its origins in the northwest of England, particularly in the regions of Lancashire and Cumbria. It likely emerged during the late medieval period, between the 13th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Old English words "crou" meaning "crow" and "sun" meaning "son," effectively translating to "son of the crow."
This surname may have been initially bestowed as a descriptive nickname upon someone who bore a resemblance to a crow or perhaps had a crooked nose or dark complexion. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational name for someone who worked with or caught crows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Lancashire Pipe Rolls of 1332, which mention a "William Croueson." The Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379 also reference a "Johannes Croweson."
While the Crowson surname does not appear in the Domesday Book, it is possible that its origins can be traced back to the time of the Norman Conquest in the 11th century, when many English surnames began to emerge and solidify.
In the 16th century, records show a John Crowson born in Kendal, Westmorland (now part of Cumbria) in 1542. Around the same time, a Richard Crowson was documented in Lancashire in 1587.
Moving into the 17th century, a notable figure was Robert Crowson, a Presbyterian minister born in Lancashire in 1609. He later became a Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford, and authored several theological works.
Another early bearer of the surname was Richard Crowson, born in Kendal in 1634. He was a successful merchant and landowner in the region.
In the 18th century, records show a John Crowson (1712-1788) who served as the Mayor of Carlisle in Cumbria.
One of the most notable individuals with the Crowson surname was William Crowson (1789-1847), a prominent architect from Yorkshire. He designed several churches and public buildings in the Gothic Revival style, including St. George's Church in Leeds.
As the name spread across England and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as Crowsen, Crowsone, and Crowsonne. Some of these variants may have been influenced by local dialects or individual preferences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crowson
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Crowson 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 Crowson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 2,191
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 118
- Two or more races4.6% · 113
- Black or African American1.4% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crowson
Crowson 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
#11,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,785
+151 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 259 places
2020
#12,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,481
-304 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,075 | 2,634 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,334 | 2,785 | 0.94 | +151 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 259 places |
| 2020 | #12,011 | 2,481 | 0.83 | -304 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 677 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 Crowson 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 | #11,334 | #12,011 | -6.0% |
| Count | 2,785 | 2,481 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.83 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crowson bearers went from 2,785 to 2,481 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 677 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,334 to #12,011.
FAQ
Crowson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crowson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,845 living Americans carry the surname Crowson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,476 residents.
How common is Crowson?
Crowson ranks #12,011 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,481 people with the surname Crowson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,845), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Crowson.
Has Crowson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crowson went from 2,785 recorded bearers to 2,481. That is a decrease of 304 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,334 to #12,011.
What does the Census say about the background of Crowson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Crowson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,191 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crowson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Crowson (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 Crowson mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English word "crawa," meaning crow, likely referring to a crow hunter. 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 Crowson (0.83 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 have the last name Crowson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Crowson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.