NameCensus.

UK surname

Crafts

A surname derived from an occupation related to skilled trades or handicrafts.

In the 1881 census there were 111 people recorded with the Crafts surname, ranking it #18,597 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 116, ranked #28,197, down from #18,597 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood, London parishes and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St Albans, Melton and Ashfield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Crafts is 181 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.5%.

1881 census count

111

Ranked #18,597

Modern count

116

2016, ranked #28,197

Peak year

1861

181 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Crafts had 111 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #18,597 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 116 in 2016, ranked #28,197.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 181 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Crafts surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Crafts surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Crafts 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 161 #12,288
1861 historical 181 #12,997
1881 historical 111 #18,597
1891 historical 149 #18,420
1901 historical 149 #18,146
1911 historical 151 #17,797
1997 modern 121 #24,019
1998 modern 125 #24,198
1999 modern 126 #24,239
2000 modern 123 #24,585
2001 modern 113 #25,489
2002 modern 114 #25,886
2003 modern 116 #25,415
2004 modern 115 #25,740
2005 modern 117 #25,433
2006 modern 116 #25,813
2007 modern 116 #26,209
2008 modern 118 #26,212
2009 modern 119 #26,637
2010 modern 117 #27,557
2011 modern 108 #28,811
2012 modern 113 #28,016
2013 modern 117 #27,838
2014 modern 123 #27,206
2015 modern 117 #27,982
2016 modern 116 #28,197

Geography

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Where Crafts' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood, London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Portsmouth, Portsea and Nottingham St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St Albans, Melton, Ashfield and Milton Keynes. 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 Sutton-in-Ashfield, Fulwood Nottinghamshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
4 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
5 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St Albans 020 St Albans
2 Melton 001 Melton
3 Ashfield 006 Ashfield
4 Milton Keynes 002 Milton Keynes
5 Ashfield 005 Ashfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Crafts

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Crafts

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Crafts, 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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Crafts is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Crafts is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Crafts falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Crafts is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Crafts

The surname Crafts originated in England during the late medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "cræft," meaning "strength, skill, or ability." The name was initially given to skilled craftsmen or artisans who excelled in a particular trade or craft.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Crafts can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk, England, dating back to 1327, where a person named John Craft was listed. Another early reference is in the Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester in 1372, which mentions a Thomas Craft.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Crafts surname was well-established in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Suffolk, Essex, and Norfolk. The town of Ipswich in Suffolk had a notable concentration of Crafts families, as evidenced by parish records from that period.

One notable individual with the surname Crafts was John Crafts (1559-1619), a merchant and ship owner from Ipswich, Suffolk. He was involved in the Virginia Company and contributed to the establishment of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Crafts (1619-1685), who emigrated from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. He became a prominent figure in the colony and served as a deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts.

In the late 17th century, Ebenezer Crafts (1670-1742) was a notable figure in the town of Pomfret, Connecticut. He served as a town clerk and was a member of the Connecticut General Assembly.

During the American Revolutionary War, Colonel Thomas Crafts (1740-1812) from Massachusetts played a significant role as a military officer. He participated in several campaigns and battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Crafts was William Crafts (1787-1826), an African American man who helped his wife, Ellen Crafts, escape from slavery in Georgia in 1848. Their daring escape, in which Ellen disguised herself as a white man, became a celebrated story in the abolitionist movement.

The Crafts surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Crafton in Yorkshire, Crofton in Wiltshire, and Croftoe in Northumberland. These place names likely originated from the Old English word "croft," meaning a small enclosed field or farm, which may have some connection to the occupational origin of the Crafts surname.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Crafts families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Crafts 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. Middlesex leads with 27 Crafts' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.47x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 27 2.47x
Nottinghamshire 22 14.94x
Derbyshire 9 5.26x
Hampshire 9 4.02x
Surrey 9 1.69x
Kent 8 2.15x
Lincolnshire 8 4.58x
Wiltshire 7 7.25x
Cambridgeshire 6 8.67x
Yorkshire 3 0.28x
Berkshire 1 1.22x
Royal Navy 1 7.68x
Warwickshire 1 0.36x
Worcestershire 1 0.70x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Hucknall Under in Nottinghamshire leads with 12 Crafts' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1578.95x.

Place Total Index
Hucknall Under 12 1578.95x
Tottenham 11 63.22x
Church Gresley 9 330.88x
Portsmouth 9 174.76x
Twickenham 8 170.94x
Whaplode Drove 8 2758.62x
Nottingham St Mary 7 18.38x
Warminster 7 330.19x
Minster In Sheppey 6 97.24x
March 4 172.41x
Edingley 3 2727.27x
Islington London 3 2.83x
Manningham 3 22.51x
Bromley 2 35.21x
Camberwell 2 2.87x
Clapham 2 14.64x
Ely Holy Trinity St Mary 2 66.23x
Lambeth 2 2.10x
St Andrew Holborn London 2 42.28x
Bermondsey 1 3.08x
Hambledon 1 178.57x
Northfield 1 36.90x
Nuneaton 1 31.35x
Reading St Giles 1 12.44x
Royal Navy 1 8.98x
Spitalfields London 1 12.17x
St Marylebone London 1 1.71x
Streatham 1 12.35x
Whitechapel London 1 9.29x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
Richard 7
William 6
John 5
Alfred 4
Albert 3
George 3
Samuel 3
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Henry 2
Joseph 2
Robert 2
Thomas 2
Arthur 1
Edwin 1
Eli 1
Frank 1
Fredrick 1
Horace 1
James 1
Oliver 1
Thackston 1
Thos. 1
Wilfred 1

FAQ

Crafts surname: questions and answers

How common was the Crafts surname in 1881?

In 1881, 111 people were recorded with the Crafts surname. That placed it at #18,597 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Crafts surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 116 in 2016. That gives Crafts a modern rank of #28,197.

What does the Crafts surname mean?

A surname derived from an occupation related to skilled trades or handicrafts.

What does the Crafts map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Crafts 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.