2000
#5,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,872
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Crutcher
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or used crutches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,356 Americans carry the last name Crutcher. That puts it at #5,979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,926 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crutcher 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 Crutcher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,926
Census rank
#5,979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,543 bearers of the surname Crutcher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crutcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crutcher
The surname Crutcher is of English origin and dates back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Middle English word "crutcher," which referred to a maker or seller of crutches, walking sticks, or similar supportive devices. This occupational surname likely emerged in areas of England where such craftspeople were prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Crutcher can be found in the records of the parish of Brome, Suffolk, in 1598, where a John Crutcher is mentioned. The name also appears in the parish records of Chediston, Suffolk, in 1612, with a William Crutcher.
In the 17th century, the surname Crutcher was found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire. The variant spellings "Crutcher" and "Crutchir" were also documented during this period.
A notable early bearer of the name was Thomas Crutcher, who was born in Wiltshire in 1620. He was a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and faced persecution for his religious beliefs.
In the late 17th century, the Crutcher surname appeared in the records of the parish of St. Mary's, Warwick, where a John Crutcher was baptized in 1690.
During the 18th century, the name Crutcher was particularly prevalent in the county of Gloucestershire. One notable figure was William Crutcher (1732-1799), a prominent landowner and magistrate in the town of Cheltenham.
Another individual of historical significance was Samuel Crutcher (1768-1836), a Baptist minister from Virginia, United States, who played a significant role in the establishment of several churches in the region.
In the 19th century, the Crutcher surname continued to be found throughout England, particularly in the Midlands and southern counties. John Crutcher (1809-1891), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Birmingham, was a notable figure of this era.
Throughout its history, the Crutcher surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, clergymen, landowners, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse origins and occupations associated with this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crutcher
Among Census respondents with the surname Crutcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Crutcher 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 Crutcher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.9% · 2,711
- Black or African American41.6% · 2,307
- Two or more races4.3% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 177
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crutcher
Crutcher 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
#5,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,004
+132 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 320 places
2020
#5,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,543
-461 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,449 | 5,872 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,769 | 6,004 | 2.04 | +132 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 320 places |
| 2020 | #5,979 | 5,543 | 1.85 | -461 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 210 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 Crutcher 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 | #5,769 | #5,979 | -3.6% |
| Count | 6,004 | 5,543 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.85 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crutcher bearers went from 6,004 to 5,543 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 210 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,769 to #5,979.
FAQ
Crutcher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crutcher?
Name Census estimates that about 6,356 living Americans carry the surname Crutcher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,926 residents.
How common is Crutcher?
Crutcher ranks #5,979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,543 people with the surname Crutcher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,356), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Crutcher.
Has Crutcher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crutcher went from 6,004 recorded bearers to 5,543. That is a decrease of 461 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,769 to #5,979.
What does the Census say about the background of Crutcher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crutcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (41.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Crutcher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.9% (2,711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crutcher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.9%), Black (41.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Crutcher (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 Crutcher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or used crutches. 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 Crutcher (1.85 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 Crutcher?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.