2000
#1,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.95
Uncommon Last name
Crouch
An English surname derived from a nickname for someone with a stooped or hunched posture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,901 Americans carry the last name Crouch. That puts it at #1,552 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,233 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crouch 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 Crouch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,233
Census rank
#1,552
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,587 bearers of the surname Crouch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1552nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crouch, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crouch
The surname Crouch is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "croc," meaning a hook or bend, and the word "hoc," meaning a hook or angle. It is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century, as a descriptive surname for an individual who was either physically crooked or lived near a crooked or winding path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Crouch can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Croch" in the county of Somerset. This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Crouche," "Crouche," and "Croch," in records from counties like Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltshire. These variations likely stemmed from different regional pronunciations and spellings.
During the 14th century, the name began to take on its modern spelling of "Crouch." One notable figure from this period was John Crouch, a landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire, who was born around 1320.
In the 16th century, the name Crouch was associated with several prominent individuals, including Sir John Crouch (c. 1520 - 1598), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London, and Sir Robert Crouch (c. 1555 - 1628), a soldier and naval commander who served under Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.
The 17th century saw the birth of Sir John Crouch (1635 - 1711), a politician and lawyer who served as a judge and Member of Parliament for Yarmouth. Another notable figure from this period was William Crouch (1628 - 1725), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
In the 18th century, the name Crouch was associated with William Crouch (1708 - 1782), a renowned English actor and theatre manager who owned and operated the Haymarket Theatre in London.
The 19th century brought forth individuals like Alfred Walter Crouch (1857 - 1936), a British journalist and author who wrote extensively about cricket and other sports, and Sir Walter Crouch (1880 - 1964), a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of Sierra Leone from 1935 to 1941.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crouch
Among Census respondents with the surname Crouch, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Crouch 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 Crouch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 19,574
- Black or African American5.2% · 1,168
- Two or more races4.0% · 903
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 674
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 148
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 120
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crouch
Crouch 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
#1,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,923
-223 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 8.11
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#1,552
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,587
-1,336 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 7.56
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,342 | 24,146 | 8.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,497 | 23,923 | 8.11 | -223 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #1,552 | 22,587 | 7.56 | -1,336 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 55 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 Crouch 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 | #1,497 | #1,552 | -3.7% |
| Count | 23,923 | 22,587 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 8.11 | 7.56 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crouch bearers went from 23,923 to 22,587 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,497 to #1,552.
FAQ
Crouch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crouch?
Name Census estimates that about 25,901 living Americans carry the surname Crouch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,233 residents.
How common is Crouch?
Crouch ranks #1,552 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,587 people with the surname Crouch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Crouch.
Has Crouch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crouch went from 23,923 recorded bearers to 22,587. That is a decrease of 1,336 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,497 to #1,552.
What does the Census say about the background of Crouch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crouch, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Crouch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (19,574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crouch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Crouch (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 Crouch mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for someone with a stooped or hunched posture. 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 Crouch (7.56 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 share the surname Crouch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.