2000
#14,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,965
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Crystal
A surname derived from the English word for the clear, transparent mineral, likely referring to a crystalline appearance or personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,134 Americans carry the last name Crystal. That puts it at #15,196 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,616 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crystal 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 Crystal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,616
Census rank
#15,196
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,861 bearers of the surname Crystal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15196th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crystal, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crystal
The surname Crystal is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cryssel" or the Old French word "crissal," both of which referred to a type of fine, transparent glass. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to someone who worked with glass or crystals, such as a glassblower or a crystal cutter.
The earliest known record of the surname Crystal can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named John Cristal is mentioned. Over the following centuries, various spellings of the name emerged, including Cristall, Cristell, and Cristyll.
In the 14th century, the surname Crystal appeared in the records of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers in London, an organization that regulated the glazing trade. This further supports the theory that the name was initially associated with glasswork or crystal craftsmanship.
One notable figure with the surname Crystal was Sir William Crystal, born in 1564 in Essex, England. He was a renowned explorer and navigator who accompanied Sir Walter Raleigh on several expeditions to the Americas. Another prominent individual was Thomas Crystal, born in 1635 in Gloucestershire, who was a prominent architect and helped design several churches and public buildings in London during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the surname Crystal can be found in various parish records across England, particularly in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Gloucestershire. One notable bearer of the name during this time was John Crystal, born in 1712 in Suffolk, who was a respected author and scholar known for his work on ancient Greek literature.
The 19th century saw the surname Crystal spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as many families emigrated from England. One prominent figure was Edward Crystal, born in 1845 in London, who was a successful businessman and philanthropist in New York City.
Throughout its history, the surname Crystal has been associated with various occupations, including glasswork, architecture, exploration, and academia. While not an extremely common surname, it has left a notable mark in various fields and regions around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crystal
Among Census respondents with the surname Crystal, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Crystal 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 Crystal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 1,570
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 114
- Black or African American3.2% · 59
- Two or more races3.2% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crystal
Crystal 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
#14,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,989
+24 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 814 places
2020
#15,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,861
-128 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,064 | 1,965 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,878 | 1,989 | 0.67 | +24 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 814 places |
| 2020 | #15,196 | 1,861 | 0.62 | -128 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 318 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 Crystal 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 | #14,878 | #15,196 | -2.1% |
| Count | 1,989 | 1,861 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.62 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crystal bearers went from 1,989 to 1,861 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,878 to #15,196.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Crystal
FAQ
Crystal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crystal?
Name Census estimates that about 2,134 living Americans carry the surname Crystal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,616 residents.
How common is Crystal?
Crystal ranks #15,196 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,861 people with the surname Crystal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Crystal.
Has Crystal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crystal went from 1,989 recorded bearers to 1,861. That is a decrease of 128 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,878 to #15,196.
What does the Census say about the background of Crystal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crystal, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Black (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 Crystal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (1,570 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crystal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Hispanic (6.1%), Black (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 Crystal (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 Crystal mean?
A surname derived from the English word for the clear, transparent mineral, likely referring to a crystalline appearance or personality. 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 Crystal (0.62 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 surname Crystal?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.