Creed
Usually a habitational surname from Creed in Cornwall, with a possible secondary link to the Devon river of the same name.
The #7,096 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 65,440 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest historical explanation is that Creed comes from a place-name: Creed, the parish in Cornwall. Some 19th-century sources also mention a Devon river called Creed, so the surname may occasionally be locational from that feature as well. The place-name itself is old and likely pre-English in origin, but the surname meaning is simply “from Creed.”
History
Lower and Bardsley both treat Creed as a local surname. Bardsley notes that people with this name appear in medieval records far from Cornwall, which fits a family name formed from migration away from the place of origin. The surname remains relatively uncommon in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley specifically remarks that medieval bearers of Crede/Creed show up in places far from Cornwall, a classic sign that the name had already become hereditary.
From the historical record
“crae. CREED. A parish in Cornwall. CREED Y. A river in Devonshire. CREELMAN. One who carries a wicker basket, called iu the North a creel. CREGOE. An estate iu the parish of Tregony, co. Cornwall. CREIGHTON. See Crichton.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom