NameCensus.

UK surname

Crean

A surname taken from an Irish place name originating from the Gaelic word "crion" meaning withered or shriveled.

In the 1881 census there were 101 people recorded with the Crean surname, ranking it #19,636 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 572, ranked #9,025, up from #19,636 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stockport, London parishes and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Huntingdonshire, Havering and Knowsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Crean is 601 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 466.3%.

1881 census count

101

Ranked #19,636

Modern count

572

2016, ranked #9,025

Peak year

2010

601 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Crean had 101 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #19,636 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 572 in 2016, ranked #9,025.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 179 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Crean surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Crean surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Crean 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 110 #16,093
1861 historical 92 #22,112
1881 historical 101 #19,636
1891 historical 113 #22,162
1901 historical 175 #16,469
1911 historical 179 #16,023
1997 modern 546 #8,712
1998 modern 556 #8,853
1999 modern 570 #8,736
2000 modern 548 #8,976
2001 modern 525 #9,128
2002 modern 540 #9,103
2003 modern 528 #9,127
2004 modern 537 #9,015
2005 modern 544 #8,859
2006 modern 555 #8,752
2007 modern 567 #8,703
2008 modern 574 #8,690
2009 modern 591 #8,691
2010 modern 601 #8,774
2011 modern 567 #9,055
2012 modern 579 #8,830
2013 modern 578 #8,981
2014 modern 579 #9,024
2015 modern 577 #8,985
2016 modern 572 #9,025

Geography

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Where Creans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stockport, London parishes, Edinburgh, Manchester and Childwall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Huntingdonshire, Havering, Knowsley, Newport and Bromley. 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 London parishes London 3
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Childwall Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Huntingdonshire 010 Huntingdonshire
2 Havering 009 Havering
3 Knowsley 004 Knowsley
4 Newport 020 Newport
5 Bromley 005 Bromley

Forenames

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First names often paired with Crean

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Crean

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

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Crean surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Crean household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Crean is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Crean is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Crean 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 Crean 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Crean

The surname Crean is believed to have originated in Ireland. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "crián," which means "brown" or "swarthy." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a nickname for someone with a dark complexion or dark hair.

The earliest recorded instances of the Crean surname can be traced back to County Cork in southern Ireland, where it was particularly prevalent in the region around the town of Macroom. The name is thought to have emerged sometime in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.

One of the earliest documented references to the Crean surname appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a "Diarmaid Crean," who was a member of the O'Sullivan clan and participated in the Siege of Dunboy Castle in 1602.

In the 17th century, the Crean surname is found in various historical records, including the Petty Census of 1659, which recorded households in Ireland. During this period, variations in spelling were common, with the name appearing as Creen, Creane, and Crean.

One notable individual with the Crean surname was Thomas Crean (1877-1938), an Irish explorer and seaman who participated in three major expeditions to the Antarctic with Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton. He is remembered for his remarkable endurance and courage during these arduous journeys.

Another prominent figure was Donal Crean (1906-1999), an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Labour Party from 1948 to 1981, representing various constituencies in County Cork.

In the field of literature, Máire Mhac an tSaoi (born Máire Crean in 1922) is a renowned Irish poet and editor. She has published numerous collections of poetry and has been recognized with several prestigious awards for her contributions to Irish literature.

The Crean surname has also been associated with place names in Ireland, such as Creanmore (meaning "big Crean") and Crean Hill, both located in County Cork. These place names likely derive from individuals or families with the Crean surname who resided in those areas.

While the Crean name has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly to English-speaking countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Crean families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Crean 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. Lancashire leads with 38 Creans recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.28x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 38 3.28x
Yorkshire 15 1.55x
Midlothian 12 9.18x
Middlesex 10 1.03x
Surrey 6 1.26x
Monmouthshire 5 7.09x
Cheshire 3 1.39x
Kent 3 0.90x
Somerset 3 1.91x
Devon 2 0.99x
Durham 1 0.34x
Gloucestershire 1 0.52x
Lanarkshire 1 0.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh Greenside in Midlothian leads with 8 Creans recorded in 1881 and an index of 462.43x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh Greenside 8 462.43x
Liverpool 8 11.38x
Sherburn 8 1012.66x
Salford 7 20.56x
Garston 6 175.44x
Chelsea London 5 17.01x
Everton 5 13.55x
St Woollos 5 63.53x
Cheetham 4 46.35x
Colinton 4 273.97x
Linthorpe 4 69.32x
Farnworth 3 43.23x
Wellington 3 140.85x
Bethnal Green London 2 4.72x
Blackburn 2 6.49x
Clerkenwell London 2 8.69x
Macclesfield 2 20.90x
Margate St John Baptist 2 32.84x
Plymouth St Andrew 2 12.79x
Southwark Christchurch 2 43.76x
Sowerby In Thirsk 2 344.83x
Wisley 2 3333.33x
Ardwick 1 9.58x
Broughton In Salford 1 9.45x
Cheltenham 1 6.78x
Deptford St Paul 1 3.90x
Govan 1 1.28x
Haswell 1 48.08x
Ledsham 1 1111.11x
Leftwich 1 104.17x
Manchester 1 1.92x
Penge 1 16.05x
Shoreditch London 1 2.36x
Streatham 1 13.81x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 12
Elizabeth 4
Catherine 3
Annie 2
Hannah 2
Ann 1
Anne 1
Bridget 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Emma 1
Fanny 1
Kate 1
Lily 1
Lizzie 1
Lucy 1
Madeleine 1
Maggie 1
Margt. 1
Sarah 1
Susan 1
Tessa 1
Winefred 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 5
Thomas 5
John 4
William 4
Patrick 3
Daniel 2
Frank 2
Joseph 2
Michael 2
Robert 2
Stephen 2
Albert 1
Alexander 1
Anthony 1
Barnet 1
Edmond 1
Edward 1
George 1
Head 1
Pat 1
Paterick 1
Theodore 1

FAQ

Crean surname: questions and answers

How common was the Crean surname in 1881?

In 1881, 101 people were recorded with the Crean surname. That placed it at #19,636 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Crean surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 572 in 2016. That gives Crean a modern rank of #9,025.

What does the Crean surname mean?

A surname taken from an Irish place name originating from the Gaelic word "crion" meaning withered or shriveled.

What does the Crean map show?

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