NameCensus.

UK surname

Critten

A spelling variant of the British surname "Crittenden," derived from an English place name.

In the 1881 census there were 56 people recorded with the Critten surname, ranking it #25,733 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 181, ranked #20,955, up from #25,733 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Manchester, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Broadland, West Lindsey and Pembrokeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Critten is 215 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 223.2%.

1881 census count

56

Ranked #25,733

Modern count

181

2016, ranked #20,955

Peak year

1998

215 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Critten had 56 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,733 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 181 in 2016, ranked #20,955.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 154 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities.

Critten surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Critten surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Critten 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 22 #29,378
1861 historical 36 #29,463
1881 historical 56 #25,733
1891 historical 93 #24,965
1901 historical 103 #22,444
1911 historical 154 #17,553
1997 modern 198 #17,729
1998 modern 215 #17,306
1999 modern 210 #17,712
2000 modern 203 #18,043
2001 modern 200 #17,948
2002 modern 204 #18,062
2003 modern 199 #18,195
2004 modern 190 #18,792
2005 modern 183 #19,194
2006 modern 180 #19,526
2007 modern 187 #19,271
2008 modern 176 #20,224
2009 modern 187 #19,868
2010 modern 191 #20,015
2011 modern 189 #19,997
2012 modern 181 #20,531
2013 modern 180 #20,954
2014 modern 182 #20,958
2015 modern 183 #20,786
2016 modern 181 #20,955

Geography

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Where Crittens are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Manchester, Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos, London parishes, Great Yarmouth and Chatham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Broadland, West Lindsey, Pembrokeshire and North East Lincolnshire. 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 Manchester Lancashire
2 Hellesdon, St Mary in the Marsh, St Clement, St Martin at Oak, St Mary at Coslany, St Michael at Cos Norfolk
3 London parishes London 2
4 Great Yarmouth Norfolk
5 Chatham Kent

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Broadland 012 Broadland
2 West Lindsey 001 West Lindsey
3 Broadland 004 Broadland
4 Pembrokeshire 010 Pembrokeshire
5 North East Lincolnshire 006 North East Lincolnshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Critten

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Critten

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

Legacy Industrial and Coastal Communities

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

Single-person households are common in these neighbourhoods, and these residents are typically divorced rather than never married. A high proportion of residents were born outside the UK in the EU. There are many young adults, some with young children, but relatively few residents are of normal retirement age or over. Although levels of identification with ethnic minorities are in line with the Supergroup average, individuals identifying with Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is more common than average. High long-term disability rates are observed, and unpaid care is more common than in the rest of the Group. The predominant housing types are terraced houses and flats, which are typically part of the social rented sector. This Group is commonly found in coastal areas and (present-day or former) industrial 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Critten 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

Critten 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

Critten falls in decile 6 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.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Critten 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 Critten, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Critten

The surname Critten is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "criten," which referred to a small hut or dwelling place. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived in a modest abode or cottage.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Critten can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1176, where a person named Radulfus Criten is mentioned. This provides evidence that the name was already in use by the late 12th century.

During the 13th century, variations of the name began to appear in historical records, such as Cryttene and Cryttyn. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.

In the 14th century, the name Critten was documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where it was recorded as "Cryttyn." This suggests that the name had spread to other regions of England by this point.

One notable individual with the surname Critten was John Critten, a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London during the late 16th century. He was born around 1550 and was known for his successful trade ventures.

Another early bearer of the name was Robert Critten, a farmer and landowner who lived in Oxfordshire in the 17th century. Records from 1632 indicate that he owned substantial acres of land in the village of Bladon.

In the 18th century, the name Critten appeared in parish records of Gloucestershire, where a family with this surname resided in the town of Stroud. One member of this family, William Critten, born in 1724, was a notable weaver and textile worker.

Moving into the 19th century, the Critten surname gained some notability in the field of education. Thomas Critten, born in 1807 in Shropshire, was a respected schoolmaster and author of several educational texts on grammar and arithmetic.

Finally, one of the more recent individuals with the surname Critten was Elizabeth Critten, an artist and painter from Yorkshire who lived from 1875 to 1958. Her landscape paintings depicting the Yorkshire Dales and Moors were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Critten families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Critten 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. Suffolk leads with 22 Crittens recorded in 1881 and an index of 33.68x.

County Total Index
Suffolk 22 33.68x
Norfolk 19 23.04x
Surrey 9 3.44x
Middlesex 2 0.37x
Cambridgeshire 1 2.94x
Lanarkshire 1 0.58x
Lancashire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Southwold in Suffolk leads with 18 Crittens recorded in 1881 and an index of 4615.38x.

Place Total Index
Southwold 18 4615.38x
Great Yarmouth 15 219.62x
Lambeth 5 10.69x
Ipswich St Stephen 3 2727.27x
Newington 3 15.14x
Norwich St Augustine 2 606.06x
Battersea 1 5.07x
Bungay St Mary 1 312.50x
Govan Church 1 5000.00x
Islington London 1 1.92x
Lakenham 1 85.47x
North Meols 1 16.05x
Norwich St Peter Mancroft 1 243.90x
Willesden 1 19.76x
Wisbech St Peter 1 58.82x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

FAQ

Critten surname: questions and answers

How common was the Critten surname in 1881?

In 1881, 56 people were recorded with the Critten surname. That placed it at #25,733 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Critten surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 181 in 2016. That gives Critten a modern rank of #20,955.

What does the Critten surname mean?

A spelling variant of the British surname "Crittenden," derived from an English place name.

What does the Critten map show?

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