2000
#1,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,452
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.47
Uncommon Last name
Crum
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a crooked or deformed person, from the Old English "crumb," meaning bent or crooked.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,568 Americans carry the last name Crum. That puts it at #2,064 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,516 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Crum 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 Crum with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,516
Census rank
#2,064
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,064 bearers of the surname Crum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2064th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Crum, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Crum
The surname Crum has its origins in England, with the earliest records of the name dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "crumb," which referred to a small particle or fragment of something, such as bread.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Crum surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where a person named Richard Crum is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during this period.
The name Crum may have originated as a descriptive surname, possibly referring to someone who was small in stature or had a diminutive appearance. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational surname associated with someone who worked with crumbs or small particles, such as a baker or miller.
In the 14th century, the surname was recorded in various forms, including Crumb, Crumbe, and Crombe. These variations reflect the fluctuations in spelling that were common during that time period.
One notable bearer of the Crum surname was John Crum, a merchant from Bristol, England, who was recorded in the city's archives in the late 15th century.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Lancashire Wills and Inventories from 1548, where a person named Henry Crum is mentioned.
In the 17th century, the surname Crum appeared in the parish records of St. Giles Cripplegate in London, where a marriage between John Crum and Mary Browne was recorded in 1635.
One of the earliest known instances of the surname Crum in the American colonies was in Virginia in the late 17th century, where a person named William Crum is recorded as a landowner in the Rappahannock County records.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Crum, including:
1. George Crum (1824-1914), a Native American chef credited with the invention of potato chips in Saratoga Springs, New York.
2. Jane Crum (1825-1903), an American abolitionist and women's rights activist.
3. William Crum (1847-1925), a Scottish chemist and pioneer in the field of electrochemistry.
4. Ralph Crum (1909-1979), an American jazz drummer and percussionist.
5. Ralph Adams Crum (1890-1973), an American educator and scholar of Buddhism.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Crum throughout history, contributing to its rich and diverse legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Crum
Among Census respondents with the surname Crum, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Crum 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 Crum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 14,198
- Black or African American9.0% · 1,533
- Two or more races3.7% · 624
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 542
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 71
Timeline
Historical Census data for Crum
Crum 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
#2,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,944
+492 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 6.08
Rank movement Down 121 places
2020
#2,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,064
-880 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 5.71
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,889 | 17,452 | 6.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,010 | 17,944 | 6.08 | +492 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 121 places |
| 2020 | #2,064 | 17,064 | 5.71 | -880 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 54 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 Crum 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 | #2,010 | #2,064 | -2.7% |
| Count | 17,944 | 17,064 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.08 | 5.71 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Crum bearers went from 17,944 to 17,064 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,010 to #2,064.
FAQ
Crum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Crum?
Name Census estimates that about 19,568 living Americans carry the surname Crum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,516 residents.
How common is Crum?
Crum ranks #2,064 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,064 people with the surname Crum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,568), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Crum.
Has Crum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Crum went from 17,944 recorded bearers to 17,064. That is a decrease of 880 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,010 to #2,064.
What does the Census say about the background of Crum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Crum, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Crum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (14,198 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Crum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (9.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Crum (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 Crum mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a crooked or deformed person, from the Old English "crumb," meaning bent or crooked. 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 Crum (5.71 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 Crum?
Find out how many people are called Crum on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.