2000
#8,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,672
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Crowther
An occupational surname referring to someone who plays or makes crowthers, an ancient Celtic stringed instrument.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,538 Americans carry the last name Crowther. That puts it at #8,032 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crowther 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 Crowther with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,530
Census rank
#8,032
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,957 bearers of the surname Crowther in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8032nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowther, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crowther
The surname Crowther is of English origin and is derived from the occupation of a crowder or crouder, which referred to someone who played a crowd or crwth, an ancient stringed instrument similar to a violin. The name is believed to have first emerged in the 13th century in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, where it appears as "Crouder". In the 14th century, the name is found in various forms such as "Croudere", "Crouwdere", and "Crowdere".
The Crowther surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Crowther in West Yorkshire, and Crowther's Farm in Derbyshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the presence of individuals bearing this name in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Crowther throughout history include:
1. John Crowther (c. 1550-1640), an English clergyman and author of several religious works.
2. Ralph Crowther (1603-1670), an English politician who served as a member of parliament for Lancashire during the English Civil War.
3. Amariah Crowther (1768-1836), an English Methodist minister and missionary in Africa, known for his work in Sierra Leone.
4. Jonathan Crowther (1782-1859), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
5. Samuel Crowther (1809-1891), a Nigerian Anglican missionary bishop and linguist, known for his pioneering work in the Niger Delta region.
The Crowther surname has been present in various parts of England for centuries and has a rich history rooted in occupational and place name origins. It has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including clergymen, politicians, architects, and missionaries, contributing to the cultural and historical fabric of the nation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crowther
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowther, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Crowther 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 Crowther surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 3,480
- Black or African American5.3% · 211
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 114
- Two or more races2.9% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crowther
Crowther 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
#8,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,880
+208 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#8,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,957
+77 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 460 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,298 | 3,672 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,492 | 3,880 | 1.32 | +208 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #8,032 | 3,957 | 1.32 | +77 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 460 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 Crowther 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 | #8,492 | #8,032 | 5.4% |
| Count | 3,880 | 3,957 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.32 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crowther bearers went from 3,880 to 3,957 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 460 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,492 to #8,032.
FAQ
Crowther surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crowther?
Name Census estimates that about 4,538 living Americans carry the surname Crowther. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,530 residents.
How common is Crowther?
Crowther ranks #8,032 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,957 people with the surname Crowther. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Crowther.
Has Crowther become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crowther went from 3,880 recorded bearers to 3,957. That is an increase of 77 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,492 to #8,032.
What does the Census say about the background of Crowther?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crowther, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Crowther in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (3,480 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crowther appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (5.3%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Crowther (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 Crowther mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who plays or makes crowthers, an ancient Celtic stringed instrument. 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 Crowther (1.32 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 share the surname Crowther?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.