NameCensus.

UK surname

Crann

A surname derived from the Gaelic word "crann" meaning tree or branch.

In the 1881 census there were 133 people recorded with the Crann surname, ranking it #16,676 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 232, ranked #17,694, down from #16,676 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Marylebone and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Sunderland, Shropshire and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Crann is 242 in 1997. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 74.4%.

1881 census count

133

Ranked #16,676

Modern count

232

2016, ranked #17,694

Peak year

1997

242 bearers

Map years

7

1881 to 2016

Key insights

  • Crann had 133 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #16,676 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 232 in 2016, ranked #17,694.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 165 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Crann surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Crann surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Crann 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 68 #21,302
1861 historical 92 #22,112
1881 historical 133 #16,676
1891 historical 132 #19,976
1901 historical 165 #17,085
1911 historical 153 #17,633
1997 modern 242 #15,597
1998 modern 242 #16,037
1999 modern 242 #16,146
2000 modern 242 #16,101
2001 modern 234 #16,205
2002 modern 237 #16,413
2003 modern 233 #16,394
2004 modern 221 #17,066
2005 modern 216 #17,283
2006 modern 223 #17,036
2007 modern 223 #17,248
2008 modern 221 #17,495
2009 modern 225 #17,631
2010 modern 232 #17,657
2011 modern 229 #17,633
2012 modern 229 #17,537
2013 modern 238 #17,354
2014 modern 241 #17,338
2015 modern 241 #17,235
2016 modern 232 #17,694

Geography

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Where Cranns are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Marylebone, Glasgow, Sheffield and Cathcart. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Sunderland, Shropshire and Cornwall. 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 London parishes London 3
2 St Marylebone London (North Districts)
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Cathcart Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Sunderland 005 Sunderland
2 Sunderland 004 Sunderland
3 Shropshire 031 Shropshire
4 Cornwall 030 Cornwall
5 Sunderland 003 Sunderland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Crann

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Crann

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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Crann surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Crann 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Crann is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Crann is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Crann falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Crann is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Crann

The surname CRANN is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "crann," which means "tree." The name is believed to have originated in the medieval period, likely referring to someone who lived near a notable tree or a wooded area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the CRANN surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The Annals mention a Tadhg O'Crann, who was a notable scholar and poet in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, there are records of the CRANN surname in County Donegal, particularly in the baronies of Banagh and Boylagh. The name was also prevalent in County Mayo, especially in the area around Ballina.

The CRANN surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Cránóg (meaning "a wooden island"), and Crannóg Kernáin, a monastic site in County Offaly dating back to the 6th century.

Notable individuals with the surname CRANN throughout history include:

1. Eoghan CRANN (c. 1590 - c. 1660), an Irish language poet and historian from County Donegal. 2. Seán CRANN (1768 - 1838), an Irish rebel and United Irishman who fought in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. 3. Máire CRANN (1892 - 1976), an Irish language writer and teacher from County Mayo. 4. Pádraig CRANN (1906 - 1982), an Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. 5. Eibhlín CRANN (born 1947), an Irish playwright and novelist from County Donegal.

While the CRANN surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to Irish emigration, particularly to the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Crann families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Crann 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 48 Cranns recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.76x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 48 3.76x
Dorset 17 20.12x
Middlesex 15 1.17x
Lanarkshire 14 3.36x
Renfrewshire 13 13.03x
Lancashire 7 0.46x
Aberdeenshire 6 5.03x
Surrey 6 0.96x
Ayrshire 1 1.04x
Cornwall 1 0.69x
Hampshire 1 0.38x
Hertfordshire 1 1.13x
Kent 1 0.23x
Midlothian 1 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 28 Cranns recorded in 1881 and an index of 38.87x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 28 38.87x
Barony 14 13.29x
Cathcart 8 148.15x
St Marylebone London 8 11.64x
Stoke Abbott 6 2500.00x
Toxteth Park 6 11.60x
Eastwood 5 81.43x
Glass Houghton 5 1086.96x
Peterhead 5 79.24x
Morden 4 1111.11x
Normanton 4 104.44x
Poole St James 4 126.18x
Bradford 3 9.72x
Kensington London 3 4.19x
Netherbury 3 428.57x
Wandsworth 3 24.21x
Worplesdon 3 394.74x
Islington London 2 1.60x
Keighley 2 14.71x
Potter Newton 2 88.89x
Abbotts Ann 1 333.33x
Dreghorn 1 57.47x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 1.44x
Erith 1 23.09x
Gulval 1 106.38x
Hampstead London 1 4.99x
Huddersfield 1 5.38x
Hunslet 1 5.03x
Lonmay 1 92.59x
Manningham 1 6.36x
St Pancras London 1 0.97x
Stevenage 1 72.46x
Widnes 1 9.07x
York St Saviour 1 81.97x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 8
Hannah 3
Caroline 2
Eliza 2
Elizabeth 2
Elizth. 2
Ellen 2
Emma 2
Louisa 2
Lucy 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Amelia 1
Clara 1
Edith 1
Flora 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Gertrude 1
Harriott 1
Jane 1
Janet 1
Julia 1
Margt. 1
Martha 1
Rachael 1
Rhoda 1
Rose 1
Rosina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 6
James 5
George 4
Henry 4
John 3
Thomas 3
Charles 2
Frederick 2
Harry 2
Joseph 2
Thos. 2
Arthur 1
Benjn. 1
Charlie 1
Edward 1
Fred 1
Fredk.S. 1
Hawkins 1
Jno.Tho. 1
Michael 1
Peter 1
Pharoah 1
Richard 1
Robert 1
Samuel 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Crann surname: questions and answers

How common was the Crann surname in 1881?

In 1881, 133 people were recorded with the Crann surname. That placed it at #16,676 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Crann surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 232 in 2016. That gives Crann a modern rank of #17,694.

What does the Crann surname mean?

A surname derived from the Gaelic word "crann" meaning tree or branch.

What does the Crann map show?

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