NameCensus.

UK surname

Craighead

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a crag or steep rock on a hill.

In the 1881 census there were 269 people recorded with the Craighead surname, ranking it #10,506 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 172, ranked #21,648, down from #10,506 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Old Deer, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Fyvie. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Peterhead Links and Peterhead Bay.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Craighead is 325 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 36.1%.

1881 census count

269

Ranked #10,506

Modern count

172

2016, ranked #21,648

Peak year

1891

325 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Craighead had 269 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,506 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 172 in 2016, ranked #21,648.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 325 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Craighead surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Craighead surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Craighead 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 221 #9,630
1861 historical 239 #10,273
1881 historical 269 #10,506
1891 historical 325 #10,426
1901 historical 313 #11,319
1911 historical 58 #27,001
1997 modern 187 #18,398
1998 modern 195 #18,397
1999 modern 195 #18,517
2000 modern 194 #18,554
2001 modern 190 #18,520
2002 modern 187 #19,083
2003 modern 175 #19,690
2004 modern 167 #20,367
2005 modern 170 #20,066
2006 modern 164 #20,715
2007 modern 161 #21,201
2008 modern 165 #21,056
2009 modern 182 #20,201
2010 modern 191 #20,015
2011 modern 180 #20,649
2012 modern 173 #21,135
2013 modern 175 #21,320
2014 modern 172 #21,731
2015 modern 171 #21,729
2016 modern 172 #21,648

Geography

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Where Craigheads are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Old Deer, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Fyvie, Newburgh and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Peterhead Links, Peterhead Bay, East Northamptonshire and Angus Glens. 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 Old Deer Aberdeen
2 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
3 Fyvie Aberdeen
4 Newburgh Fife
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 033 Northumberland
2 Peterhead Links Aberdeenshire
3 Peterhead Bay Aberdeenshire
4 East Northamptonshire 002 East Northamptonshire
5 Angus Glens Angus

Forenames

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First names often paired with Craighead

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Craighead

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Craighead surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Craighead household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Craighead is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. 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

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Craighead is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

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

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Craighead falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Craighead 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 Craighead, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Craighead

The surname Craighead has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic words "creag" meaning rock or hill, and "ceann" meaning head or end, referring to a prominent hill or rocky outcrop.

This surname is closely associated with the Craighead area near Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in charters and records from the 12th and 13th centuries, often spelled as "Cragehede" or "Craghed".

One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Robert de Craighead, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Craigheads were prominent landowners in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. In 1625, John Craighead of Craighead was appointed as a Commissioner of Supply for Renfrewshire, responsible for collecting taxes and maintaining local militia.

In the late 17th century, several members of the Craighead family emigrated to Ireland, where the name became established in counties such as Antrim and Down. Notably, Thomas Craighead (1667-1739) was a Presbyterian minister who played a significant role in the revival of religious fervor in Ulster.

As the Craighead family spread across the British Isles and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, including Craigheed, Craighead, and Creaghead. One notable individual was Robert Craighead (1636-1711), a Scottish minister who emigrated to Massachusetts and was involved in the Salem Witch Trials.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, several Craigheads made significant contributions in various fields. Robert Craighead (1753-1826) was a prominent Scottish architect who designed numerous buildings in Edinburgh. James Geddes Craighead (1810-1883) was a Scottish-American inventor and engineer who developed the first successful iron-hulled steamboat.

As the Craighead name spread across the world, it has been borne by many notable individuals, including Thomas Craighead (1870-1916), a British naval officer who served during World War I, and John Craighead (1916-2016), an American naturalist and writer who helped establish the field of wildlife biology.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Craighead families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Craighead 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. Aberdeenshire leads with 144 Craigheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 59.25x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 144 59.25x
Angus 40 16.45x
Lanarkshire 13 1.53x
Selkirkshire 9 37.91x
Kincardineshire 8 25.04x
Middlesex 8 0.30x
Ayrshire 7 3.56x
Fife 7 4.51x
Durham 6 0.77x
West Lothian 6 15.18x
Renfrewshire 5 2.46x
Surrey 4 0.31x
Caithness 3 8.35x
Buteshire 2 12.58x
Perthshire 2 1.70x
Hampshire 1 0.19x
Lancashire 1 0.03x
Midlothian 1 0.28x
Royal Navy 1 3.20x
Yorkshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Aberdeen Old Machar in Aberdeenshire leads with 39 Craigheads recorded in 1881 and an index of 76.86x.

Place Total Index
Aberdeen Old Machar 39 76.86x
Dundee 38 41.87x
Peterhead 17 132.30x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 11 24.19x
Fyvie 11 277.08x
Barony 10 4.66x
Auchterless 9 466.32x
Rathen 9 352.94x
Cruden 7 223.64x
Inverurie 7 254.55x
Melrose 7 117.25x
Newburgh 7 355.33x
Ellon 6 179.64x
Kirkliston 6 260.87x
Marykirk 6 454.55x
Old Deer 6 130.15x
Cathcart 5 45.45x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 5 14.79x
Longside 5 172.41x
Dalry 4 43.29x
Lonmay 4 181.00x
Pitsligo 4 172.41x
Rotherhithe 4 12.34x
Shoreditch London 4 3.52x
Dyce 3 285.71x
Kilmaurs 3 89.82x
Reay 3 152.28x
Bervie 2 105.82x
Bute North 2 185.19x
Galashiels 2 22.78x
Glasgow 2 1.33x
Islington London 2 0.79x
Logie 2 47.28x
New Deer 2 45.45x
Airlie 1 128.21x
Aldershot 1 5.55x
Bishopwearmouth 1 1.49x
Forfar 1 7.60x
Fraserburgh 1 14.62x
Govan 1 0.48x
Leeds 1 0.68x
Monquhitter 1 39.68x
Moss Side 1 6.11x
North Leith 1 6.15x
St Botolph Aldgate London 1 18.52x
St Martin In Fields 1 6.37x
Turriff 1 25.51x
Udny 1 68.03x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Isabella 2
Ann 1
Eliza 1
Hannah 1
Polly 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
George 2
John 2
Robert 2
William 2
Adam 1
Alex 1
Henry 1
James 1
Joseph 1
Richard 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Craighead households.

FAQ

Craighead surname: questions and answers

How common was the Craighead surname in 1881?

In 1881, 269 people were recorded with the Craighead surname. That placed it at #10,506 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Craighead surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 172 in 2016. That gives Craighead a modern rank of #21,648.

What does the Craighead surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a crag or steep rock on a hill.

What does the Craighead map show?

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