2000
#68,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 268
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Cronkite
A crooked or winding farmstead.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 274 Americans carry the last name Cronkite. That puts it at #84,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,250,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cronkite 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
274
1 in 1,250,928
Census rank
#84,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
239
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 239 bearers of the surname Cronkite in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 84529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cronkite, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cronkite
The surname Cronkite is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern regions. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "crunc," which means "twisted" or "bent," and may have referred to someone who lived near a winding stream or a crooked path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a person named "Crunchet," which is likely an early variant of the modern spelling.
In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "Crunkyt" and "Cronkyt," indicating its evolution over time. It's worth noting that surnames were not standardized until much later, and spellings often varied based on regional dialects and the preferences of scribes.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Cronkite was John Cronkite, who was born in Yorkshire, England, around 1520. He was a merchant and landowner, and his descendants continued to reside in the Yorkshire area for several generations.
Another notable figure was Sir Walter Cronkite, who was born in Berkshire, England, in 1645. He was a military officer and served in the English Civil War, fighting for the Royalist cause. His actions during the Siege of Colchester in 1648 earned him knighthood.
In the 18th century, the Cronkite family spread to various parts of the British Isles, and some members eventually emigrated to North America. One such individual was James Cronkite, born in Scotland in 1742, who settled in Virginia and fought in the American Revolutionary War.
The name Cronkite has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Cronkite Hill in Yorkshire and Cronkite Farm in Gloucestershire, suggesting that some branches of the family may have taken their names from these locations.
Other notable individuals with the surname Cronkite include Walter Leland Cronkite Jr., the renowned American broadcast journalist who was born in 1916 and passed away in 2009. He is best known for his coverage of major historical events, including the Vietnam War and the Apollo space program.
While this is not an exhaustive list, it provides insight into the rich history and origins of the surname Cronkite, tracing its roots back to medieval England and highlighting some of the individuals who have carried this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cronkite
Among Census respondents with the surname Cronkite, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cronkite 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 Cronkite surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 216
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 13
- Two or more races2.1% · 5
- Black or African American1.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cronkite
Cronkite 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
#78,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 244
-24 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 9,747 places
2020
#84,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 239
-5 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 6,213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68,569 | 268 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #78,316 | 244 | 0.08 | -24 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 9,747 places |
| 2020 | #84,529 | 239 | 0.08 | -5 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 6,213 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 Cronkite 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 | #78,316 | #84,529 | -7.9% |
| Count | 244 | 239 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cronkite bearers went from 244 to 239 (-2.0% change). The surname moved down 6,213 positions in the national ranking, going from #78,316 to #84,529.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cronkite
FAQ
Cronkite surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cronkite?
Name Census estimates that about 274 living Americans carry the surname Cronkite. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,250,928 residents.
How common is Cronkite?
Cronkite ranks #84,529 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 239 people with the surname Cronkite. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (274), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cronkite.
Has Cronkite become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cronkite went from 244 recorded bearers to 239. That is a decrease of 5 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #78,316 to #84,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Cronkite?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cronkite, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Cronkite in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (216 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cronkite appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Cronkite (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 Cronkite mean?
A crooked or winding farmstead. 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 Cronkite (0.08 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 common is the surname Cronkite?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Cronkite is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.