UK boy's name
Crawford
A given name derived from the English surname, meaning "crowed ford" or "ford by the cross road".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Crawford is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Crawford popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4749, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1999, with 5 births.
This profile covers 32 England and Wales registrations across 8 recorded years from 1999 to 2018. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 60% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 188 living people in the UK are called Crawford. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Crawford ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales in 2018, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1999, when 5 boys were registered as Crawford.
- • Crawford ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #704 in 2018.
- • About 188 living people in the UK are estimated to have Crawford as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4749
2018
Births in 2018
3
Latest year
Peak year
1999
5 births
Estimated living
188
2026
Meaning
What does Crawford mean?
The name Crawford originated from the Gaelic language spoken in Scotland and Ireland. It is derived from the elements "cru," meaning "bloody," and "ford," referring to a river crossing or ford. The name likely emerged during the medieval period in the regions where Gaelic was spoken.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Crawford can be found in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient Irish chronicle dating back to the 15th century. The chronicle mentions a person named Crunford, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of Crawford.
During the Middle Ages, the name Crawford was associated with notable figures in Scottish and Irish history. One such individual was Sir Reginald Crawford, a Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.
In the 16th century, a prominent bearer of the name was David Crawford (c. 1525-1600), a Scottish Protestant reformer and educator who helped establish the first Scottish university in Aberdeen.
Another historical figure with the name Crawford was William Crawford (1676-1742), a Scottish-born American soldier and surveyor who played a significant role in the early exploration and settlement of the American colonies.
In the 19th century, Samuel Wylie Crawford (1829-1892) was a notable American Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the fourth president of Allegheny College in Pennsylvania.
More recently, the name Crawford has been carried by individuals such as Joan Crawford (1904-1977), the iconic American actress who starred in numerous films during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and Cindy Crawford (born 1966), the supermodel and actress known for her successful modeling career and business ventures.
While the name Crawford has its roots in the Celtic languages of Scotland and Ireland, it has since spread and been adopted in various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic word elements that reflect the rugged terrain and river crossings of the regions where the name first emerged.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Crawford over time
The chart below shows babies named Crawford registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1999 to 2018. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Crawford, the clearest high point is 1999. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2018, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Crawford by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Crawford was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4329 | 7 | 2 |
| 2000s | #3328 | 20 | 5 |
| 1990s | #2097 | 5 | 1 |
Geography
Where Crawford is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Crawford. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Crawford ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #704 in 2018.
Across the UK
Crawford in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#704 in 2018
31 years of NRS records, 161 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Crawford
-
Crawford Matthews
rugby league player
English rugby league footballer
1991-
-
Crawford Mitchell
xylographer
Irish artist specialised in wood-engraving and line-cuts
1908-1976
-
Crawford Vaughan
politician; civil servant; clerk; journalist; business executive; lecturer; novelist; newspaper editor
Australian politician
1874-1947
-
Crawford Pasco
judge
Royal Navy officer and Australian police magistrate (1818-1898)
1818-1898
Related
Names similar to Crawford
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
FAQ
Crawford: questions and answers
How popular is the name Crawford in the UK right now?
In 2018, Crawford was ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Crawford most popular?
The peak year on record was 1999, with 5 babies registered as Crawford in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Crawford?
A given name derived from the English surname, meaning "crowed ford" or "ford by the cross road".
How many people are called Crawford in the UK?
A total of 32 babies have been registered as Crawford across the 8 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 161 more in Scotland.
Where is Crawford most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Crawford ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #704 in 2018. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.