Explore the Family Name Craik

The meaning of Craik

1. Scottish: habitational name from Craik in Aberdeenshire, named from Gaelic creag ‘steep or precipitous rock’, or from various other places so named, for example in Angus, Dumfriesshire, Roxburghshire, and Selkirkshire. 2. English (Durham): variant of Crake, a habitational name from Crayke in the North Yorkshire, named with Primitive Welsh creig ‘rock, crag’ (Old Welsh creic, cognate with Gaelic craig).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Craik in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Craik has seen a decline over the years. In 2000, it was ranked as the 68,360th most popular surname, with a total count of 269 individuals bearing it. By 2010, the rank had fallen to 82,908 and the count dropped to 227, representing decreases of 21.28% and 15.61% respectively. The proportion per 100,000 people also diminished by 20%, from 0.1 in 2000 to 0.08 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#68,360	#82,908	-21.28%
Count	269	227	-15.61%
Proportion per 100k	0.1	0.08	-20%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Craik

In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates a relatively homogenous ethnic identity associated with the surname Craik. In 2000, an overwhelming 98.88% of individuals with this surname identified as White. By 2010, this figure had slightly decreased to 93.83%. There were no individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or Black in either year. However, there was a small emergence of diversity in 2010, with 2.2% of individuals reporting two or more races and 3.08% identifying as Hispanic. No change was observed for those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	98.88%	93.83%	-5.11%
Hispanic	0%	3.08%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	2.2%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%