2000
#307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 89,591
First available Census row
Per 100,000 33.21
Common Last name
Craig
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic word "creag," meaning "rocky hill" or "crag."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 100,539 Americans carry the last name Craig. That puts it at #349 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 29.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,409 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Craig 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 Craig with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
101K
1 in 3,409
Census rank
#349
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
29.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
88K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 87,675 bearers of the surname Craig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 29.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 349th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Craig, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Craig
The surname Craig is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "creag" meaning a rock or crag. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name for someone who lived near a prominent rocky outcrop or craggy hill.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century in Scotland. One of the earliest documented bearers of the surname was William de Cragyn, who witnessed a charter in Ayrshire in 1163. The name also appeared in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of Scotland.
In the 14th century, the Craigs of Riccarton, a notable Scottish family, rose to prominence. Sir Thomas Craig (1538-1608) was a renowned Scottish jurist and legal writer, serving as Lord Advocate of Scotland. His work "Jus Feudale" was a significant contribution to the understanding of feudal law.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Craig (1512-1600), a Scottish reformer and one of the leading figures in the Scottish Reformation. He played a crucial role in the establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland.
The surname Craig was also associated with the Clan Craig, a Scottish clan based in the Scottish Lowlands. The clan's origins can be traced back to the lands of Craigfintry in Stirlingshire, and they were prominent in the region during the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the literary world, James Craig (1674-1744) was a Scottish mathematician and theologian, best known for his work "Theologiae Christianae Principia Mathematica" which attempted to apply mathematical principles to theology.
Other notable bearers of the surname include James Henry Craig (1748-1812), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, and Sir James Craig (1776-1855), a British army officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor-General of British North America from 1807 to 1811.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Craig
Among Census respondents with the surname Craig, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Craig 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 Craig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 66,592
- Black or African American14.9% · 13,080
- Two or more races4.3% · 3,731
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,932
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 678
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 662
Timeline
Historical Census data for Craig
Craig 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
#332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 92,507
+2,916 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 31.36
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 87,675
-4,832 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 29.33
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #307 | 89,591 | 33.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #332 | 92,507 | 31.36 | +2,916 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #349 | 87,675 | 29.33 | -4,832 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 17 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 Craig 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 | #332 | #349 | -5.1% |
| Count | 92,507 | 87,675 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 31.36 | 29.33 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Craig bearers went from 92,507 to 87,675 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #332 to #349.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Craig
FAQ
Craig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Craig?
Name Census estimates that about 100,539 living Americans carry the surname Craig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,409 residents.
How common is Craig?
Craig ranks #349 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 29.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 29 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 87,675 people with the surname Craig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (100,539), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 29.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 29.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 29 of them to have the surname Craig.
Has Craig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Craig went from 92,507 recorded bearers to 87,675. That is a decrease of 4,832 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #332 to #349.
What does the Census say about the background of Craig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Craig, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) 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 Craig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (66,592 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Craig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.0%), Black (14.9%), 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 Craig (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 Craig mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic word "creag," meaning "rocky hill" or "crag." 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 Craig (29.33 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 Americans have the surname Craig?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.