2000
#382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 27.85
Uncommon Last name
Cross
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a cross or crucifix.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 86,045 Americans carry the last name Cross. That puts it at #432 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cross 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 Cross with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
86K
1 in 3,983
Census rank
#432
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
75K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 75,035 bearers of the surname Cross in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 432nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cross, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cross
The surname Cross originated in England and derives from the Old English word "cros" which means "cross" or "crucifix." It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a cross or crucifix, or as a nickname for a person who frequently made the sign of the cross.
The name is found in various early records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Crois" and "Croiz." It is also recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191 as "de Cruce" and in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279 as "atte Crous."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Walter Croys, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1197. Another early bearer of the name was Robert de la Croyz, who is recorded in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1240.
The Cross surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including Ralph Cross (c. 1395 - c. 1463), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire. Another prominent figure was Jonathan Cross (1655 - 1712), an English clergyman and author who served as the Dean of Raphoe in Ireland.
In the 17th century, Samuel Cross (1622 - 1700) was a Puritan minister and author in New England. He played a significant role in the Salem Witch Trials and published a book titled "The Sou-Guards of Mercy" in 1683.
Among the more recent historical figures with the Cross surname is Wilbur Lucius Cross (1862 - 1948), an American educator and author who served as the president of Yale University from 1930 to 1937.
Another notable individual was Sir Ronald Cross (1896 - 1968), a British businessman and politician who served as the Governor of Tasmania from 1951 to 1958 and was later knighted for his services to the British Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cross
Among Census respondents with the surname Cross, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cross 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 Cross surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.3% · 54,268
- Black or African American17.9% · 13,436
- Two or more races4.6% · 3,487
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,617
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 677
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 550
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cross
Cross 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
#420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 77,557
+2,423 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 26.29
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,035
-2,522 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 25.10
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #382 | 75,134 | 27.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #420 | 77,557 | 26.29 | +2,423 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #432 | 75,035 | 25.10 | -2,522 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12 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 Cross 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 | #420 | #432 | -2.9% |
| Count | 77,557 | 75,035 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 26.29 | 25.10 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cross bearers went from 77,557 to 75,035 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #420 to #432.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cross
FAQ
Cross surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cross?
Name Census estimates that about 86,045 living Americans carry the surname Cross. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,983 residents.
How common is Cross?
Cross ranks #432 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 75,035 people with the surname Cross. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (86,045), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Cross.
Has Cross become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cross went from 77,557 recorded bearers to 75,035. That is a decrease of 2,522 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #420 to #432.
What does the Census say about the background of Cross?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cross, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Cross in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.3% (54,268 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cross appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.3%), Black (17.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Cross (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 Cross mean?
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a cross or crucifix. 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 Cross (25.10 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 Cross?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.