2000
#2,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,279
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.29
Uncommon Last name
Crook
An English occupational surname for a seller or maker of hooks or for a person with a crooked back.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,758 Americans carry the last name Crook. That puts it at #2,568 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,751 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crook 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 Crook with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,751
Census rank
#2,568
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,742 bearers of the surname Crook in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2568th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crook, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crook
The surname Crook is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "croc" or "croc-a," which referred to a hook or a crooked bend, such as in a river or road. This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname or a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a crooked or winding geographic feature.
The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the late 12th century in various English counties, such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Cambridgeshire. Some of the earliest known bearers of this name include William Croc, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, and Robert Croc, recorded in the Assize Court Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Croc, Crok, Croke, and Crook, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling practices of the time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention individuals with the surname Croc and Crok, indicating its widespread use across England.
One notable early bearer of this surname was Sir John Crook (c. 1315-1380), a prominent English landowner and military commander who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He fought in several key battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346, and was knighted for his valiant service.
In the 16th century, the surname Crook appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1524, which listed a Thomas Crook. Another notable individual with this surname was Sir John Crook (c. 1530-1609), a wealthy English merchant and MP for Bristol in the late Elizabethan era.
During the 17th century, the surname was found in various parts of England, including London, where John Crook (1617-1699) was a prominent Quaker preacher and writer. He was imprisoned several times for his religious beliefs and wrote extensively on Quaker theology.
In the 18th century, the name Crook was associated with several notable figures, including William Crook (1699-1769), an English mathematician and inventor who worked on improving the design of telescopes and other optical instruments. Another prominent individual was John Crook (1738-1816), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and later became a colonial administrator in New South Wales, Australia.
The 19th century saw the surname Crook continuing to be present in various fields, including literature and politics. One notable bearer was Joseph Crook (1825-1888), an English novelist and playwright who wrote several popular works in the Victorian era.
Throughout its history, the surname Crook has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, reflecting its widespread use and distribution across England over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crook
Among Census respondents with the surname Crook, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Crook 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 Crook surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.1% · 11,147
- Black or African American10.9% · 1,502
- Two or more races3.6% · 501
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 408
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crook
Crook 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
#2,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,526
+247 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 4.92
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#2,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,742
-784 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 4.60
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,323 | 14,279 | 5.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,484 | 14,526 | 4.92 | +247 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #2,568 | 13,742 | 4.60 | -784 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 84 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 Crook 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 | #2,484 | #2,568 | -3.4% |
| Count | 14,526 | 13,742 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.92 | 4.60 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crook bearers went from 14,526 to 13,742 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,484 to #2,568.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Crook
FAQ
Crook surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crook?
Name Census estimates that about 15,758 living Americans carry the surname Crook. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,751 residents.
How common is Crook?
Crook ranks #2,568 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,742 people with the surname Crook. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,758), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Crook.
Has Crook become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crook went from 14,526 recorded bearers to 13,742. That is a decrease of 784 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,484 to #2,568.
What does the Census say about the background of Crook?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crook, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Crook in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.1% (11,147 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crook appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.1%), Black (10.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Crook (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 Crook mean?
An English occupational surname for a seller or maker of hooks or for a person with a crooked back. 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 Crook (4.60 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 Crook?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.