2000
#18,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,338
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Cruikshank
A Scottish surname derived from a place name referring to a crooked bank or river bank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,643 Americans carry the last name Cruikshank. That puts it at #18,972 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 208,615 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cruikshank 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 Cruikshank with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 208,615
Census rank
#18,972
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,433 bearers of the surname Cruikshank in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18972nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cruikshank, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cruikshank
The surname Cruikshank originated in Scotland and has been traced back to the 13th century. It is a locational name, derived from the Old Scots words "cruik" meaning "bent" and "schank" meaning "leg." This likely referred to a person living near a bend in a river or a crooked slope.
The earliest recorded example of this name is found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1291, where it appears as "Cruikshank." Other early spellings include Crukschank, Cruikshonk, and Crukshanks, reflecting the varying pronunciations at the time.
The name is also associated with the village of Cruikshank in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This place name is believed to have influenced the surname's spelling and pronunciation over time.
In the 16th century, the Cruikshank family held lands in Aberdeenshire and played a role in local affairs. One notable member was Alexander Cruikshank, who served as the Provost of Aberdeen in the late 1500s.
During the Scottish Renaissance, the Cruikshank surname gained prominence through the work of Robert Cruikshank (1648-1733), a Scottish poet and philosopher. His writings explored themes of nature and the human condition, earning him a respected place in literary circles.
In the 18th century, the Cruikshank family produced several talented artists. Isaac Cruikshank (1756-1811) was a celebrated caricaturist and satirical illustrator, known for his political cartoons during the French Revolution. His son, George Cruikshank (1792-1878), followed in his footsteps and became one of the most influential illustrators of the Victorian era, renowned for his work in Charles Dickens' novels.
Another notable figure was Robert Cruikshank (1793-1856), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as the Lord President of the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court.
The Cruikshank surname has also been carried by individuals in various fields, such as Alexander Cruikshank (1854-1935), a Scottish-American architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in New York City, and George Cruikshank (1887-1976), a Scottish-American artist and illustrator known for his work in children's literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cruikshank
Among Census respondents with the surname Cruikshank, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cruikshank 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 Cruikshank surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 1,238
- Black or African American4.8% · 69
- Two or more races4.1% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cruikshank
Cruikshank 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
#19,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,409
+71 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 359 places
2020
#18,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,433
+24 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Up 270 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,883 | 1,338 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,242 | 1,409 | 0.48 | +71 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 359 places |
| 2020 | #18,972 | 1,433 | 0.48 | +24 bearers (+1.7%) | Up 270 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 Cruikshank 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 | #19,242 | #18,972 | 1.4% |
| Count | 1,409 | 1,433 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.48 | 0.48 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cruikshank bearers went from 1,409 to 1,433 (+1.7% change). The surname moved up 270 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,242 to #18,972.
FAQ
Cruikshank surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cruikshank?
Name Census estimates that about 1,643 living Americans carry the surname Cruikshank. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 208,615 residents.
How common is Cruikshank?
Cruikshank ranks #18,972 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 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 1,433 people with the surname Cruikshank. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,643), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 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 Cruikshank.
Has Cruikshank become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cruikshank went from 1,409 recorded bearers to 1,433. That is an increase of 24 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #19,242 to #18,972.
What does the Census say about the background of Cruikshank?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cruikshank, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Cruikshank in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (1,238 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cruikshank appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (4.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Cruikshank (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 Cruikshank mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name referring to a crooked bank or river bank. 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 Cruikshank (0.48 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 last name Cruikshank?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Cruikshank, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.