NameCensus.

UK surname

Critchley

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "gritty clearing" or "stony clearing."

In the 1881 census there were 2,677 people recorded with the Critchley surname, ranking it #1,660 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,037, ranked #1,683, down from #1,660 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Chorley and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chorley and St. Helens.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Critchley is 4,379 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.8%.

1881 census count

2,677

Ranked #1,660

Modern count

4,037

2016, ranked #1,683

Peak year

1999

4,379 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Critchley had 2,677 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,660 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,037 in 2016, ranked #1,683.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,886 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Critchley surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Critchley surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Critchley 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 1,421 #2,023
1861 historical 1,420 #2,001
1881 historical 2,677 #1,660
1891 historical 2,716 #1,744
1901 historical 3,486 #1,603
1911 historical 3,886 #1,326
1997 modern 4,146 #1,558
1998 modern 4,256 #1,577
1999 modern 4,379 #1,548
2000 modern 4,336 #1,552
2001 modern 4,270 #1,546
2002 modern 4,334 #1,551
2003 modern 4,222 #1,563
2004 modern 4,151 #1,584
2005 modern 4,070 #1,599
2006 modern 4,075 #1,596
2007 modern 4,108 #1,597
2008 modern 4,128 #1,605
2009 modern 4,213 #1,611
2010 modern 4,266 #1,620
2011 modern 4,204 #1,623
2012 modern 4,061 #1,652
2013 modern 4,130 #1,658
2014 modern 4,139 #1,664
2015 modern 4,074 #1,675
2016 modern 4,037 #1,683

Geography

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Where Critchleys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet,, Chorley, Manchester, Wigan and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chorley and St. Helens. 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 Churcham, Sandhurst, St Mary-de-Lode, St Catherine Longford, Barnwood, Wootton Ville, North Hamlet, Gloucestershire
2 Chorley Lancashire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Wigan Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chorley 010 Chorley
2 St. Helens 004 St. Helens
3 St. Helens 007 St. Helens
4 St. Helens 016 St. Helens
5 St. Helens 019 St. Helens

Forenames

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First names often paired with Critchley

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Critchley

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Critchley, 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 Critchley surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Critchley 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

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Critchley is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Critchley is most concentrated in decile 6 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.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Critchley 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 Critchley 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 Critchley, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Critchley

The surname Critchley is of English origin, derived from the place name Critchley near Rochdale in Lancashire. The name is believed to have originated in the 13th century and is thought to be derived from the Old English words "crycc" meaning a creek or small stream, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing.

The earliest recorded spelling of the surname Critchley was found in the Lancashire Pipe Rolls of 1246, where one Adam de Critchelegh was mentioned. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region by the mid-13th century.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village of Critchley is recorded under the name "Critchelau", indicating the long history of the place name from which the surname is derived.

One notable individual with the Critchley surname was Sir James Critchley (1557-1623), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lancashire in the early 17th century.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Critchley (1683-1754), an English engraver and sculptor who was known for his work on various churches and monuments in London.

In the 19th century, John Critchley (1808-1881) was a English businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the town of Rochdale.

William Critchley (1849-1929) was an English cricketer who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.

A more recent individual of note was Victor Critchley (1915-1997), a British diplomat and author who served as the UK's ambassador to various countries during the Cold War era.

While the surname Critchley has its roots in the northern English county of Lancashire, it has since spread throughout the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries through migration and diaspora.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Critchley families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Critchley 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 1,808 Critchleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.85x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,808 5.85x
Cheshire 212 3.69x
Gloucestershire 193 3.78x
Yorkshire 87 0.34x
Staffordshire 70 0.80x
Middlesex 49 0.19x
Warwickshire 34 0.52x
Nottinghamshire 21 0.60x
Northamptonshire 18 0.74x
Worcestershire 18 0.53x
Surrey 17 0.13x
Durham 15 0.19x
Glamorgan 13 0.29x
Lanarkshire 13 0.15x
Berkshire 11 0.56x
Somerset 11 0.26x
Cumberland 10 0.45x
Kent 10 0.11x
Derbyshire 8 0.20x
Essex 6 0.12x
Devon 5 0.09x
Leicestershire 5 0.17x
Monmouthshire 5 0.27x
Fife 4 0.26x
Merionethshire 4 0.84x
Renfrewshire 4 0.20x
Shropshire 4 0.18x
Hampshire 3 0.06x
Oxfordshire 3 0.19x
Northumberland 2 0.05x
Westmorland 2 0.35x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.10x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.09x
Inverness-shire 1 0.13x
Sussex 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Eccleston In Prescot in Lancashire leads with 87 Critchleys recorded in 1881 and an index of 56.09x.

Place Total Index
Eccleston In Prescot 87 56.09x
Westleigh 68 96.92x
Wigan 67 15.52x
Windle 67 38.54x
Preston 65 7.86x
Salford 55 6.05x
Warrington 54 14.74x
Liverpool 52 2.77x
Everton 50 5.08x
Manchester 43 3.10x
Standish With Langtree 43 113.01x
Sutton 43 41.50x
Parr 42 38.00x
Chorley 41 23.65x
Newton In Makerfield 36 38.06x
Newton 34 14.28x
Little Bolton 31 7.80x
Croston 29 181.70x
Great Bolton 29 7.09x
Blackburn 28 3.41x
Rainhill 28 141.49x
Worsley 28 14.70x
Ashton In Makerfield 27 30.69x
Eccleston In Chorley 27 336.66x
Hindley 27 20.50x
Bury 24 6.80x
Oldham 24 2.41x
Sale 24 34.04x
West Derby 23 2.54x
Golborne 22 54.63x
Adlington 21 72.59x
Aston 21 1.16x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 21 22.47x
Toxteth Park 20 1.91x
Bedford 19 29.40x
Prescot 19 34.01x
Stoke Upon Trent 19 2.04x
Whiston 19 78.84x
Stockport 18 6.09x
Atherton 17 15.12x
Stonehouse 17 58.58x
Westhoughton 17 20.62x
Gloucester St Nicholas 16 67.68x
Newton In Ashton Under 16 28.21x
Bold 15 195.82x
Halsall 15 122.95x
Rumworth 15 33.98x
Skelmersdale 15 29.13x
Wavertree 15 15.17x
Batley 14 5.71x
Cheetham 13 5.64x
Chester St John Baptist 13 12.58x
Heaton Norris 13 7.39x
Ilkley 13 30.83x
Radcliffe 13 8.73x
Tranmere 13 6.15x
Accrington 12 4.27x
Brightside Bierlow 12 2.37x
Burslem 12 4.77x
Gorton 12 4.13x
Warmingham 12 421.05x
Chorlton On Medlock 11 2.24x
Dukinfield 11 4.14x
Kidderminster Borough 11 5.53x
Quedgley 11 258.22x
Runcorn 11 8.30x
Stafford St Mary 11 8.84x
Swansea Town 11 2.96x
Birkdale 10 12.79x
Cheltenham 10 2.54x
Gloucester Longford St 10 144.51x
Nantwich 10 14.97x
Shoreditch London 10 0.89x
Wolverhampton 10 1.48x
Birmingham 9 0.41x
Chipping Sodbury 9 94.54x
Coundon 9 28.66x
Glasgow 9 0.60x
Leeds 9 0.62x
Upholland 9 22.73x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 197
Elizabeth 122
Sarah 98
Margaret 80
Ann 78
Alice 59
Ellen 56
Jane 56
Annie 34
Martha 31
Eliza 28
Emma 26
Louisa 21
Ada 18
Catherine 17
Elizth. 16
Emily 16
Edith 15
Hannah 14
Isabella 13
Agnes 11
Harriet 11
Rachel 11
Clara 10
Esther 10
Florence 10
Lucy 10
Kate 9
Amelia 8
Charlotte 8
Frances 8
Nancy 8
Betty 7
Margt. 7
Fanny 6
Betsy 5
Rose 5
Susan 5
Anne 4
Gertrude 4
Jessie 4
Maria 4
Susannah 4
Amy 3
Caroline 3
Eliz. 3
Eva 3
Grace 3
Maud 3
Minnie 3

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 164
William 155
James 143
Thomas 127
Henry 68
Joseph 62
George 59
Robert 40
Richard 34
Charles 33
Peter 31
Samuel 28
Edward 24
Walter 22
Alfred 21
Arthur 20
Harry 19
Albert 17
Wm. 15
Frederick 10
Thos. 10
David 8
Ernest 7
Seth 7
Frank 6
Fred 6
Herbert 6
Stephen 6
Edwin 5
Francis 5
Hugh 5
Benjamin 4
Daniel 4
Harold 4
Ralph 4
Adam 3
Alexander 3
Geo. 3
Jabez 3
Jno. 3
Jonathan 3
Mark 3
Matthew 3
Percy 3
Sydney 3
Allen 2
Douglas 2
Edgar 2
Shadrack 2
Silas 2

FAQ

Critchley surname: questions and answers

How common was the Critchley surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,677 people were recorded with the Critchley surname. That placed it at #1,660 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Critchley surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,037 in 2016. That gives Critchley a modern rank of #1,683.

What does the Critchley surname mean?

A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "gritty clearing" or "stony clearing."

What does the Critchley map show?

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