NameCensus.

UK surname

Bancroft

From an English place name meaning "bean field," referring to a person who lived near or worked in one.

In the 1881 census there were 2,901 people recorded with the Bancroft surname, ranking it #1,544 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 3,259, ranked #2,087, down from #1,544 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, Halifax and Bingley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North West Leicestershire, Bradford and Flintshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bancroft is 3,777 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 12.3%.

1881 census count

2,901

Ranked #1,544

Modern count

3,259

2016, ranked #2,087

Peak year

1911

3,777 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bancroft had 2,901 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,544 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 3,259 in 2016, ranked #2,087.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,777 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Bancroft surname distribution map

The map shows where the Bancroft surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Bancroft surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bancroft over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,865 #1,550
1861 historical 1,968 #1,484
1881 historical 2,901 #1,544
1891 historical 3,044 #1,545
1901 historical 3,535 #1,579
1911 historical 3,777 #1,370
1997 modern 3,225 #1,996
1998 modern 3,363 #1,988
1999 modern 3,388 #1,997
2000 modern 3,365 #2,006
2001 modern 3,288 #2,004
2002 modern 3,318 #2,031
2003 modern 3,270 #2,024
2004 modern 3,241 #2,032
2005 modern 3,188 #2,039
2006 modern 3,179 #2,052
2007 modern 3,158 #2,076
2008 modern 3,219 #2,061
2009 modern 3,334 #2,050
2010 modern 3,416 #2,043
2011 modern 3,356 #2,045
2012 modern 3,280 #2,052
2013 modern 3,324 #2,064
2014 modern 3,333 #2,070
2015 modern 3,270 #2,088
2016 modern 3,259 #2,087

Geography

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Where Bancrofts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, Halifax, Bingley, St Werburgh and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North West Leicestershire, Bradford, Flintshire and Derbyshire Dales. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Stockport Cheshire
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North West Leicestershire 010 North West Leicestershire
2 Bradford 023 Bradford
3 Flintshire 001 Flintshire
4 Derbyshire Dales 001 Derbyshire Dales
5 North West Leicestershire 011 North West Leicestershire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bancroft

These lists show first names that appear often with the Bancroft surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bancroft

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bancroft, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Bancroft surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Bancroft household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bancroft is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bancroft is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bancroft falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bancroft is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bancroft, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bancroft

The surname Bancroft has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ban" meaning "bone" and "croft" meaning "small enclosed field" or "farmstead." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived or worked on a small farm or enclosure near a place where bones or animal remains were kept or disposed of.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bancroft can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Bancroft" and "Bancrofte," indicating its longstanding presence in the country.

In the 13th century, records show a John de Bancroft who was a landowner in Lancashire, Northern England. This suggests that the name had already become established as a surname by this time. Another notable figure was Richard Bancroft (c. 1544-1610), who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1604 until his death. He played a significant role in the production of the King James Version of the Bible.

The name Bancroft is also associated with several place names in England, such as Bancroft in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, and Bancroft in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. These locations likely derived their names from individuals or families bearing the Bancroft surname, further solidifying its historical significance.

Other notable individuals with the surname Bancroft include Hubert Howe Bancroft (1832-1918), an American historian and ethnologist known for his extensive works on the history of the American West, and Anne Bancroft (1931-2005), an acclaimed American actress who won an Academy Award for her performance in the film "The Miracle Worker."

George Bancroft (1800-1891) was an American historian and statesman who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy and later as the United States Minister to the United Kingdom. He is best known for his monumental work, "History of the United States from the Discovery of the American Continent," which spanned multiple volumes and became a seminal work in the field of American history.

Mary Bancroft (1903-1997) was a Canadian novelist and playwright who is considered a pioneering figure in Canadian literature. Her novel "The Grass Still Grows" (1925) is regarded as one of the earliest works of modern Canadian fiction, exploring themes of rural life and the struggles of women in a patriarchal society.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bancroft families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bancroft surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 975 Bancrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.48x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 975 3.48x
Lancashire 696 2.07x
Cheshire 344 5.50x
Derbyshire 281 6.34x
Middlesex 116 0.41x
Lincolnshire 94 2.08x
Staffordshire 74 0.77x
Leicestershire 66 2.10x
Nottinghamshire 55 1.44x
Somerset 25 0.55x
Surrey 25 0.18x
Wiltshire 25 1.00x
Glamorgan 16 0.32x
Monmouthshire 15 0.73x
Pembrokeshire 12 1.33x
Hampshire 10 0.17x
Northumberland 10 0.24x
Essex 9 0.16x
Gloucestershire 9 0.16x
Kent 9 0.09x
Shropshire 6 0.25x
Warwickshire 5 0.07x
Worcestershire 5 0.14x
Durham 4 0.05x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.18x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.17x
Denbighshire 3 0.28x
Bedfordshire 2 0.14x
Midlothian 2 0.05x
Devon 1 0.02x
Isle of Man 1 0.19x
Oxfordshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Halifax in Yorkshire leads with 108 Bancrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 26.22x.

Place Total Index
Halifax 108 26.22x
Haworth 104 155.97x
Bingley 83 46.46x
Ovenden 75 60.07x
Keighley 70 23.41x
Manchester 55 3.64x
Thornton In Bradford 54 57.83x
Oldham 51 4.70x
Wadsworth 47 102.93x
Bradfield 44 40.69x
Derby St Werburgh 41 16.02x
Burnley 39 13.79x
Derby St Peter 39 27.63x
Stockport 34 10.57x
Gorton 32 10.13x
Macclesfield 29 10.44x
Cowling 28 153.93x
Stretford 26 14.07x
Salford 25 2.53x
Wilsden 25 86.78x
Cheadle 23 19.27x
Nottingham St Mary 23 2.33x
Newton In Ashton Under 22 35.68x
Ardwick 21 6.93x
Ashton Under Lyne 21 2.86x
Cheetham 21 8.38x
Dukinfield 21 7.27x
Soyland 21 62.41x
Bosden 20 104.28x
Bradford 20 2.95x
Bradford On Avon 20 24.95x
Chorlton On Medlock 20 3.75x
Hyde 20 10.85x
Newchurch 20 7.28x
Northowram 20 10.17x
Litchurch 18 10.09x
Stansfield 18 17.44x
Wakefield 18 8.36x
Accrington 17 5.57x
Preston 17 1.89x
Haughton 16 32.65x
Hulme 16 2.28x
Islington London 16 0.58x
Shoreditch London 16 1.30x
Thringstone 16 133.33x
Warrington 16 4.02x
Bradwell 15 151.36x
Cleethorpes 15 56.33x
Ecclesfield 15 7.29x
Glossop Dale 15 7.23x
Heaton Norris 15 7.85x
Marple 15 34.97x
Bethnal Green London 14 1.14x
Brinnington 14 23.98x
Clayton 14 20.39x
Derby St Alkmund 14 10.54x
Denton 13 17.46x
Liverpool 13 0.64x
Newton 13 5.02x
Runcorn 13 9.02x
South Normanton 13 41.76x
Sowerby In Halifax 13 14.17x
Burton Extra 12 21.90x
Caistor 12 66.63x
Camberwell 12 0.66x
Clerkenwell London 12 1.80x
Mapperley 12 286.40x
Quorndon 12 68.10x
Reddish 12 25.93x
South Somercoates 12 291.26x
Wyke In Bradford 12 23.92x
Broughton In Salford 11 3.58x
Bulwell 11 13.26x
Layton With Warbreck 11 8.92x
Norton Folgate London 11 118.92x
Blackburn 10 1.12x
Didsbury 10 22.42x
Heap 10 5.61x
Horton In Bradford 10 2.28x
Ilkeston 10 8.05x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bancroft surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 212
Sarah 147
Elizabeth 110
Ann 65
Hannah 54
Emma 52
Martha 46
Jane 45
Alice 43
Annie 43
Ellen 37
Eliza 35
Emily 31
Ada 23
Harriet 20
Florence 19
Clara 17
Fanny 17
Edith 16
Margaret 16
Lucy 14
Rebecca 14
Charlotte 13
Louisa 13
Frances 12
Grace 11
Maria 11
Nancy 11
Caroline 10
Matilda 9
Selina 9
Anne 8
Bertha 8
Betty 8
Rachel 8
Ruth 8
Amy 7
Catherine 7
Isabella 7
Sophia 7
Susannah 7
Agnes 6
Esther 6
Harriett 6
Julia 6
Kate 6
Susan 6
Amelia 5
Gertrude 5
Lily 5

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bancroft surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 195
William 144
James 96
George 94
Joseph 92
Thomas 80
Arthur 41
Charles 37
Robert 29
Henry 28
Albert 24
Walter 24
Fred 23
Samuel 23
Alfred 22
Edward 22
Harry 18
Edwin 17
Frederick 15
Daniel 13
David 13
Ernest 12
Herbert 12
Richard 11
Benjamin 10
Tom 10
Abraham 9
Isaac 9
Wm. 9
Jabez 8
Peter 8
Frank 7
Timothy 7
Hartley 6
Willie 6
Joel 5
Sam 5
Stephen 5
Thos. 5
Francis 4
Joe 4
Jonas 4
Mathew 4
Ezra 3
Fredk. 3
Harold 3
Joshua 3
Josiah 3
Reuben 3
Smith 3

FAQ

Bancroft surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bancroft surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,901 people were recorded with the Bancroft surname. That placed it at #1,544 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bancroft surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 3,259 in 2016. That gives Bancroft a modern rank of #2,087.

What does the Bancroft surname mean?

From an English place name meaning "bean field," referring to a person who lived near or worked in one.

What does the Bancroft map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bancroft bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.