NameCensus.

UK surname

Crehan

An Anglo-Norman surname indicating a person hailing from Crehan in France.

In the 1881 census there were 14 people recorded with the Crehan surname, ranking it #31,604 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 389, ranked #12,109, up from #31,604 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include St. Helens and Doncaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Crehan is 410 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 2678.6%.

1881 census count

14

Ranked #31,604

Modern count

389

2016, ranked #12,109

Peak year

2010

410 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Crehan had 14 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #31,604 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 389 in 2016, ranked #12,109.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 67 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Crehan surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Crehan surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Crehan 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 6 #32,278
1861 historical 21 #31,242
1881 historical 14 #31,604
1891 historical 26 #32,189
1901 historical 42 #29,487
1911 historical 67 #26,152
1997 modern 396 #11,086
1998 modern 394 #11,474
1999 modern 396 #11,527
2000 modern 381 #11,814
2001 modern 375 #11,774
2002 modern 372 #12,077
2003 modern 360 #12,152
2004 modern 365 #12,077
2005 modern 370 #11,875
2006 modern 377 #11,743
2007 modern 384 #11,726
2008 modern 385 #11,828
2009 modern 388 #12,000
2010 modern 410 #11,754
2011 modern 401 #11,843
2012 modern 381 #12,152
2013 modern 395 #12,035
2014 modern 398 #12,048
2015 modern 393 #12,059
2016 modern 389 #12,109

Geography

Back to top

Where Crehans are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to St. Helens and Doncaster. 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 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 St. Helens 012 St. Helens
2 St. Helens 006 St. Helens
3 St. Helens 016 St. Helens
4 St. Helens 014 St. Helens
5 Doncaster 012 Doncaster

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Crehan

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Crehan

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

Challenged Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Crehan is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Crehan is most concentrated in decile 8 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Crehan 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 Crehan 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Crehan

The surname Crehan is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó Críocháin, derived from the Irish word "criochán" meaning "boundary" or "frontier". This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a border or boundary area.

The Crehan name is predominantly found in the counties of Cork, Kerry, and Limerick, where the Gaelic Ó Críocháin clan was historically based. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in ancient Irish annals and manuscripts, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, which document events in Ireland from the earliest times to the 17th century.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Crehan name was Donnchadh Ó Críocháin, a 13th-century Irish poet and historian who authored several works, including a historical poem on the Norman invasion of Ireland. Another notable figure was Domnall Ó Críocháin, a 15th-century Irish chieftain who played a role in the Gaelic resistance against English rule in Munster.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, during the Tudor and Cromwellian conquests of Ireland, many Irish families were dispossessed of their lands, leading to the anglicization of their surnames. This is likely when the Gaelic Ó Críocháin became the anglicized Crehan.

Notable individuals with the Crehan surname throughout history include John Crehan (1768-1843), an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars, and Sir Michael Crehan (1819-1901), an Irish-born lawyer and politician who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin.

More recently, there was James Crehan (1900-1983), an Irish-born actor who appeared in films such as "The Cruel Sea" and "The Guns of Navarone", and Joseph Crehan (1904-1966), an American actor known for his roles in films such as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "The Maltese Falcon".

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Crehan families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Crehan 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. Derbyshire leads with 6 Crehans recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.09x.

County Total Index
Derbyshire 6 28.09x
Yorkshire 4 2.96x
Lancashire 3 1.85x
Cheshire 1 3.32x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Staveley in Derbyshire leads with 6 Crehans recorded in 1881 and an index of 1578.95x.

Place Total Index
Staveley 6 1578.95x
Brinsworth 4 6666.67x
Crompton 2 434.78x
Lymm 1 454.55x
Woolston With 1 5000.00x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 2
Ann 1
Bridget 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 2
Michael 2
Thomas 2
James 1
Martin 1
Patrick 1
Vincent 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 Crehan households.

FAQ

Crehan surname: questions and answers

How common was the Crehan surname in 1881?

In 1881, 14 people were recorded with the Crehan surname. That placed it at #31,604 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Crehan surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 389 in 2016. That gives Crehan a modern rank of #12,109.

What does the Crehan surname mean?

An Anglo-Norman surname indicating a person hailing from Crehan in France.

What does the Crehan map show?

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