2000
#3,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,500
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.15
Rare Last name
Creel
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wicker baskets, from Middle English "crele" meaning basket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,342 Americans carry the last name Creel. That puts it at #4,216 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,690 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Creel 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
9.3K
1 in 36,690
Census rank
#4,216
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,147 bearers of the surname Creel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4216th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Creel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Creel
The surname Creel is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "creel," meaning a wicker basket or fish trap. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for someone who made or sold creels.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Creel can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland. Historical records from this period, including tax rolls and parish registers, contain variations in spelling, including Crele, Creile, and Creyle.
One notable early bearer of the name was John Crele, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297. Additionally, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 reference a William Crele in Cambridgeshire.
The name Creel is also associated with several place names in England, such as Creel Farm in Yorkshire and Creel Hill in Northumberland, suggesting that the surname may have derived from these locations in some instances.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Creel have left their mark. One such person was Thomas Creel (1575-1648), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Bilton in Yorkshire. Another notable figure was Sir John Creel (1630-1701), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Essex, who served as a Member of Parliament.
In the 19th century, John Creel (1818-1887) was a prominent American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Tennessee. Additionally, George Creel (1876-1953), an American journalist and author, played a significant role as the head of the United States Committee on Public Information during World War I.
More recently, Herrick Creel (1905-1994), an American businessman and philanthropist, was the CEO of the Ballantine Brewing Company and made significant contributions to various educational and cultural institutions in New York.
Creel is a surname that has endured through the centuries, with its roots firmly planted in the occupational and geographical history of England. Despite variations in spelling and pronunciation, the name continues to hold a distinct place in the tapestry of English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Creel
Among Census respondents with the surname Creel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Creel 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 Creel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 7,078
- Two or more races4.2% · 339
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 278
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 230
- Black or African American2.3% · 188
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Creel
Creel 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
#4,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,815
+315 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.99
Rank movement Down 190 places
2020
#4,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,147
-668 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Down 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,838 | 8,500 | 3.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,028 | 8,815 | 2.99 | +315 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 190 places |
| 2020 | #4,216 | 8,147 | 2.73 | -668 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 188 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 Creel 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 | #4,028 | #4,216 | -4.7% |
| Count | 8,815 | 8,147 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.99 | 2.73 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Creel bearers went from 8,815 to 8,147 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,028 to #4,216.
FAQ
Creel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Creel?
Name Census estimates that about 9,342 living Americans carry the surname Creel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,690 residents.
How common is Creel?
Creel ranks #4,216 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,147 people with the surname Creel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,342), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Creel.
Has Creel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Creel went from 8,815 recorded bearers to 8,147. That is a decrease of 668 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,028 to #4,216.
What does the Census say about the background of Creel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Creel, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Creel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (7,078 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Creel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Creel (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 Creel mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wicker baskets, from Middle English "crele" meaning basket. 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 Creel (2.73 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 are called Creel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Creel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.