UK surname
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a person with curly hair, from the Old English word "crisp."
In the 1881 census there were 112 people recorded with the Crippen surname, ranking it #18,501 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 42, ranked #35,336, down from #18,501 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Childwall (Thingwall), Huyton (Huyton with Roby). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Crippen is 112 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 62.5%.
1881 census count
112
Ranked #18,501
Modern count
42
2016, ranked #35,336
Peak year
1881
112 bearers
Map years
4
1881 to 1911
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Crippen surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Crippen surname density by area, 1881 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe 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 | 84 | #19,067 |
| 1861 | historical | 87 | #22,681 |
| 1881 | historical | 112 | #18,501 |
| 1891 | historical | 111 | #22,421 |
| 1901 | historical | 103 | #22,444 |
| 1911 | historical | 109 | #21,611 |
| 1997 | modern | 51 | #32,545 |
| 1998 | modern | 55 | #32,399 |
| 1999 | modern | 55 | #32,561 |
| 2000 | modern | 52 | #32,916 |
| 2001 | modern | 51 | #32,850 |
| 2002 | modern | 57 | #32,661 |
| 2003 | modern | 55 | #32,895 |
| 2004 | modern | 52 | #33,418 |
| 2005 | modern | 48 | #33,932 |
| 2006 | modern | 51 | #33,992 |
| 2007 | modern | 47 | #34,558 |
| 2008 | modern | 44 | #34,865 |
| 2009 | modern | 46 | #34,918 |
| 2010 | modern | 45 | #35,130 |
| 2011 | modern | 50 | #34,816 |
| 2012 | modern | 48 | #34,938 |
| 2013 | modern | 49 | #34,952 |
| 2014 | modern | 48 | #35,041 |
| 2015 | modern | 43 | #35,269 |
| 2016 | modern | 42 | #35,336 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Childwall (Thingwall), Huyton (Huyton with Roby) and St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London parishes | London 1 |
| 2 | London parishes | London 3 |
| 3 | St Pancras | London (North Districts) |
| 4 | Childwall (Thingwall), Huyton (Huyton with Roby) | Lancashire |
| 5 | St Mary Northgate, St John's Hospital | Kent |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Crippen surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Crippen, 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
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Crippen surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Crippen household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Crippen is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Crippen is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Crippen, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Crippen is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "crippen," which means "to creep or crawl." It is believed to have originally been an occupational name for someone who worked as a hunter or tracker, as these individuals would have had to creep or crawl through the woods to capture their prey.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Crippen can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this historical document, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Crippin" and "Cripyn."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Crippen, who was born in Oxfordshire, England, in the late 13th century. He was a landowner and is mentioned in several historical records from that time period.
During the 16th century, the name Crippen was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Somerset. One notable individual from this era was William Crippen, born in 1542 in Gloucestershire, who was a respected merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
In the 17th century, the Crippen family had established a presence in the American colonies. One of the earliest immigrants with this surname was Thomas Crippen, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and later became a prominent landowner and farmer in the region.
Another famous bearer of the Crippen name was Hawley Harvey Crippen, born in 1862 in Coldwater, Michigan. He was a homeopathic doctor who gained notoriety for the sensational murder of his wife, Cora, in 1910. Crippen's case was one of the earliest instances of utilizing wireless communication to aid in the apprehension of a criminal suspect.
In the 20th century, one of the most notable individuals with the surname Crippen was Norman Crippen, born in 1892 in Buckinghamshire, England. He was a celebrated artist and illustrator, known for his work in the field of book illustration and his collaborations with prominent authors of the time.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Crippen surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Kent leads with 37 Crippens recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.93x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | 37 | 9.93x |
| Lancashire | 29 | 2.24x |
| Middlesex | 27 | 2.47x |
| Surrey | 9 | 1.69x |
| Essex | 4 | 1.86x |
| Worcestershire | 4 | 2.80x |
| Shropshire | 2 | 2.12x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Canterbury St Mary in Kent leads with 16 Crippens recorded in 1881 and an index of 640.00x.
| Place | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Canterbury St Mary | 16 | 640.00x |
| Canterbury St Gregory | 7 | 1428.57x |
| Huyton With Roby | 7 | 460.53x |
| St Marylebone London | 7 | 12.00x |
| Worsley | 7 | 87.61x |
| Croydon | 6 | 20.31x |
| Islington London | 6 | 5.67x |
| Tyldesley Cum Shakerley | 6 | 160.86x |
| Hackney London | 4 | 6.53x |
| Lynsted | 4 | 833.33x |
| Oldbury | 4 | 56.98x |
| St Pancras London | 4 | 4.55x |
| Walthamstow | 4 | 51.55x |
| Canterbury St Mary N | 3 | 1200.00x |
| Bethnal Green London | 2 | 4.22x |
| Chelsea London | 2 | 6.08x |
| Heaton Norris | 2 | 27.10x |
| Plumstead | 2 | 16.10x |
| Ramsgate | 2 | 32.89x |
| Stretford | 2 | 28.05x |
| Wardleworth | 2 | 26.99x |
| Wellington | 2 | 37.74x |
| Wigan | 2 | 11.04x |
| Canterbury Holy Cross | 1 | 277.78x |
| Clapham | 1 | 7.32x |
| Hammersmith London | 1 | 3.72x |
| Lambeth | 1 | 1.05x |
| Liverpool | 1 | 1.27x |
| Newington | 1 | 2.48x |
| Thanington Wilton In | 1 | 588.24x |
| Tonbridge | 1 | 7.44x |
| Westminster St John | 1 | 7.52x |
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Crippen surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Crippen surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
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 Crippen households.
FAQ
In 1881, 112 people were recorded with the Crippen surname. That placed it at #18,501 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 42 in 2016. That gives Crippen a modern rank of #35,336.
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a person with curly hair, from the Old English word "crisp."
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Crippen bearers relative to the surrounding population.
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.