2000
#12,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,195
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Crumb
A nickname-derived surname referring to a small person or someone who works with bread or breadcrumbs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,415 Americans carry the last name Crumb. That puts it at #13,756 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,927 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crumb 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.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,927
Census rank
#13,756
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,106 bearers of the surname Crumb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13756th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crumb, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crumb
The surname CRUMB is believed to have originated in England. It is derived from the Old English word "crumb" or "crumb," which means a small fragment or piece. The name likely referred to someone with a small or diminutive stature or perhaps someone who worked with crumbs or small fragments in a trade such as baking or carpentry.
The earliest known recorded instance of the surname dates back to the 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, a Richard Crumb is mentioned as a resident of the village of Tiddington. The name is also found in other medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, where a John Crumb is listed as a taxpayer.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname CRUMB was Sir John Crumb, a prominent English merchant and politician who lived in the 15th century. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1471 and was a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers. Another early bearer of the name was Robert Crumb, a yeoman farmer from Northamptonshire, who is mentioned in the Court Rolls of Brackley Manor in 1525.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname CRUMB began to spread across England, with various spellings appearing in parish records, such as Crumbe, Crumm, and Crumme. One notable figure from this period was John Crumb, a Puritan clergyman who was born in Middlesex in 1590 and later became the vicar of Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire.
In the 18th century, the name CRUMB continued to be found in various parts of England. One notable individual was William Crumb, a poet and playwright from Oxfordshire, who was born in 1718. His works include the play "The Jovial Crew" and several poems published in various anthologies of the time.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Robert Crumb, an English painter and engraver who lived from 1770 to 1845. He was known for his intricate engravings of architectural subjects and was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1823.
As the centuries progressed, the surname CRUMB spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, where descendants of English immigrants continued to carry the name. Throughout its history, the surname CRUMB has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, farmers, clergymen, artists, and writers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crumb
Among Census respondents with the surname Crumb, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Crumb 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 Crumb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.9% · 1,514
- Black or African American19.7% · 414
- Two or more races4.0% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crumb
Crumb 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
#13,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
+76 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 567 places
2020
#13,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,106
-165 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,851 | 2,195 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,418 | 2,271 | 0.77 | +76 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 567 places |
| 2020 | #13,756 | 2,106 | 0.70 | -165 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 338 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 Crumb 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 | #13,418 | #13,756 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,271 | 2,106 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.70 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crumb bearers went from 2,271 to 2,106 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 338 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,418 to #13,756.
FAQ
Crumb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crumb?
Name Census estimates that about 2,415 living Americans carry the surname Crumb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,927 residents.
How common is Crumb?
Crumb ranks #13,756 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,106 people with the surname Crumb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Crumb.
Has Crumb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crumb went from 2,271 recorded bearers to 2,106. That is a decrease of 165 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,418 to #13,756.
What does the Census say about the background of Crumb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crumb, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.9%. The next largest groups are Black (19.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Crumb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.9% (1,514 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crumb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.9%), Black (19.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Crumb (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 Crumb mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to a small person or someone who works with bread or breadcrumbs. 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 Crumb (0.70 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 common is the surname Crumb?
You can see how many people are called Crumb on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.