NameCensus.

UK surname

Croal

A surname derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "cruaidh" meaning hard or tough.

In the 1881 census there were 189 people recorded with the Croal surname, ranking it #13,322 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 232, ranked #17,694, down from #13,322 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Haddington, Arbroath and St. Vigeans and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Coupar Angus and Meigle, Condorrat and Broughty Ferry West.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Croal is 242 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 22.8%.

1881 census count

189

Ranked #13,322

Modern count

232

2016, ranked #17,694

Peak year

2011

242 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Croal had 189 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,322 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 232 in 2016, ranked #17,694.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 189 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Croal surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Croal surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Croal 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 166 #11,986
1861 historical 128 #17,375
1881 historical 189 #13,322
1891 historical 187 #15,679
1901 historical 178 #16,284
1911 historical 37 #29,263
1997 modern 216 #16,802
1998 modern 213 #17,431
1999 modern 208 #17,808
2000 modern 206 #17,880
2001 modern 207 #17,573
2002 modern 225 #16,994
2003 modern 215 #17,286
2004 modern 218 #17,230
2005 modern 229 #16,631
2006 modern 223 #17,036
2007 modern 240 #16,392
2008 modern 234 #16,827
2009 modern 239 #16,951
2010 modern 237 #17,368
2011 modern 242 #17,001
2012 modern 225 #17,733
2013 modern 227 #17,922
2014 modern 228 #17,977
2015 modern 233 #17,627
2016 modern 232 #17,694

Geography

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Where Croals are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Haddington, Arbroath and St. Vigeans, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Coupar Angus and Meigle, Condorrat, Broughty Ferry West, Laurieston and Tradeston and East Devon. 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 Haddington Haddington
2 Arbroath and St. Vigeans Forfar
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Coupar Angus and Meigle Perth and Kinross
2 Condorrat North Lanarkshire
3 Broughty Ferry West Dundee City
4 Laurieston and Tradeston Glasgow City
5 East Devon 018 East Devon

Forenames

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First names often paired with Croal

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Croal

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Croal surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Croal household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Croal 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

Croal is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Croal falls in decile 2 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.

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Croal is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Croal

The surname Croal is believed to have originated from the Scottish Highlands. It is thought to derive from the Gaelic words 'cro' meaning 'circle' or 'fold' and 'ail' meaning 'rock' or 'cliff', suggesting a potential link to a geographical location or settlement near a rocky, circular formation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the feudal barony of Crail in Fife, Scotland, dating back to the 13th century. The town of Crail itself is mentioned in charters as early as the 12th century, with variations such as 'Caral' and 'Karral' appearing in historical documents.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Robert Croal served as a baillie (a municipal officer) in the town of Crail. This suggests that the Croal name had already established itself in the region by that time.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the records of the Scottish Parliament from the late 16th century, where a John Croal is mentioned as a representative for the burgh of Crail.

Moving into the 17th century, the Croal name began to spread beyond its origins in Fife. In 1643, a minister named John Croal was appointed to the parish of Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, indicating the migration of the name to other parts of Scotland.

One of the most notable individuals bearing the Croal surname was James Croal, a Scottish journalist and author who lived from 1823 to 1900. He was known for his contributions to various publications, including the Glasgow Herald and the Edinburgh Evening Courant.

Other notable figures include Sir William Croal, a Scottish engineer and industrialist born in 1867, who played a significant role in the development of the British steel industry, and David Croal Thomson, a Scottish painter and etcher who lived from 1870 to 1930 and was renowned for his landscapes and coastal scenes.

While the Croal surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Scottish emigration and the diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the rocky Scottish Highlands and the town of Crail in Fife.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Croal families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Croal 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. Midlothian leads with 56 Croals recorded in 1881 and an index of 22.80x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 56 22.80x
Lanarkshire 42 7.08x
Angus 38 22.37x
East Lothian 12 49.40x
Kincardineshire 11 49.26x
Perthshire 8 9.72x
Lancashire 4 0.18x
Renfrewshire 3 2.11x
Aberdeenshire 2 1.18x
Durham 2 0.37x
Kent 2 0.32x
Middlesex 2 0.11x
Ayrshire 1 0.73x
Dunbartonshire 1 2.03x
Fife 1 0.92x
Peeblesshire 1 11.59x
Stirlingshire 1 1.48x
Wigtownshire 1 4.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 35 Croals recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.41x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 35 35.41x
Old Monkland 23 97.75x
Edinburgh St Marys 13 271.97x
Haddington 12 334.26x
Mains 9 625.00x
Barony 8 5.33x
Govan 7 4.77x
Bervie 5 378.79x
Liff Benvie 5 19.39x
Tannadice 5 632.91x
Alyth 4 180.18x
Glasgow 4 3.80x
Kinnel 4 909.09x
North Leith 4 35.18x
Rattray 4 208.33x
Stracathro 4 1290.32x
Benholm 3 312.50x
Brechin 3 44.91x
Corstorphine 3 220.59x
Toxteth Park 3 4.07x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 2 6.30x
Arbroath 2 35.52x
Marykirk 2 217.39x
Montrose 2 19.42x
St Pancras London 2 1.36x
Allerton 1 192.31x
Ardrossan 1 21.05x
Barry 1 49.02x
Benfieldside 1 27.86x
Dumbarton 1 14.58x
Dundee 1 1.58x
Edinburgh St Andrews 1 49.26x
Fettercairn 1 105.26x
Gateshead 1 2.45x
Greenwich 1 3.43x
Kirkmaiden 1 64.94x
Kirriemuir 1 23.87x
Lewisham 1 3.00x
Lochwinnoch 1 47.17x
Paisley Middle Church 1 12.09x
St Andrews 1 20.24x
St Vigeans 1 10.91x
Stirling 1 11.72x
West Greenock 1 3.92x
West Linton 1 142.86x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Agnes 1
Annie 1
Jane 1
Jessie 1
M.B. 1
Margaret 1
Maria 1
Robina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
I.T. 1
William 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 Croal households.

FAQ

Croal surname: questions and answers

How common was the Croal surname in 1881?

In 1881, 189 people were recorded with the Croal surname. That placed it at #13,322 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Croal surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 232 in 2016. That gives Croal a modern rank of #17,694.

What does the Croal surname mean?

A surname derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "cruaidh" meaning hard or tough.

What does the Croal map show?

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