2000
#2,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,702
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.71
Uncommon Last name
Croft
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a small enclosed field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,504 Americans carry the last name Croft. That puts it at #2,774 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Croft 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 Croft with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,632
Census rank
#2,774
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,648 bearers of the surname Croft in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2774th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Croft, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Croft
The surname Croft is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is a topographic name derived from the Old English word "croft," which means a small enclosed field or meadow near a house or village.
The name was initially used to identify someone who lived near or owned a croft. It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, where crofts were commonly found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Croft can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, including Croft, Crofte, and Croftes.
In the 13th century, the name Croft appeared in various historical records and manuscripts. One notable example is William de Croft, a landowner in Yorkshire mentioned in the Feet of Fines (legal records) in 1246.
The name Croft has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Croft in Leicestershire and Croft-on-Tees in North Yorkshire. These place names likely originated from the Old English word "croft" and may have influenced the surname.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Croft:
1. Sir Herbert Croft (1603-1691), an English philosopher and churchman who served as the Bishop of Hereford.
2. Henry Croft (1620-1691), an English philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the nature of human understanding.
3. William Croft (1678-1727), an English composer and organist who served as the Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal.
4. Richard Croft (1762-1818), a British admiral who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
5. Sir Archer Croft (1876-1963), a British civil engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the British aircraft industry.
The surname Croft continues to be prevalent in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with historical ties to England, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Croft
Among Census respondents with the surname Croft, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Croft 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 Croft surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 10,577
- Black or African American8.2% · 1,040
- Two or more races3.8% · 479
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 404
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Croft
Croft 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
#2,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,047
+345 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Down 150 places
2020
#2,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,648
-399 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.23
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,616 | 12,702 | 4.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,766 | 13,047 | 4.42 | +345 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 150 places |
| 2020 | #2,774 | 12,648 | 4.23 | -399 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 8 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 Croft 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 | #2,766 | #2,774 | -0.3% |
| Count | 13,047 | 12,648 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.42 | 4.23 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Croft bearers went from 13,047 to 12,648 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,766 to #2,774.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Croft
FAQ
Croft surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Croft?
Name Census estimates that about 14,504 living Americans carry the surname Croft. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,632 residents.
How common is Croft?
Croft ranks #2,774 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,648 people with the surname Croft. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,504), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Croft.
Has Croft become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Croft went from 13,047 recorded bearers to 12,648. That is a decrease of 399 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,766 to #2,774.
What does the Census say about the background of Croft?
Among Census respondents with the surname Croft, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Croft in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (10,577 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Croft appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Black (8.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Croft (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 Croft mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a small enclosed field. 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 Croft (4.23 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 Croft?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.