NameCensus.

UK surname

Croft

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a small enclosed field.

In the 1881 census there were 7,060 people recorded with the Croft surname, ranking it #603 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,103, ranked #721, down from #603 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Clee and Ashburnham, Dallington, Brightling, Ninfield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rother, Selby and Hastings.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Croft is 9,332 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.9%.

1881 census count

7,060

Ranked #603

Modern count

9,103

2016, ranked #721

Peak year

1999

9,332 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Croft had 7,060 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #603 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,103 in 2016, ranked #721.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 9,233 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Croft surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Croft surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Croft 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 4,645 #598
1861 historical 5,047 #557
1881 historical 7,060 #603
1891 historical 7,457 #601
1901 historical 8,377 #638
1911 historical 9,233 #531
1997 modern 8,992 #702
1998 modern 9,315 #707
1999 modern 9,332 #710
2000 modern 9,226 #712
2001 modern 9,011 #714
2002 modern 9,293 #708
2003 modern 8,997 #714
2004 modern 8,976 #715
2005 modern 8,835 #718
2006 modern 8,821 #718
2007 modern 8,863 #723
2008 modern 8,886 #726
2009 modern 9,139 #720
2010 modern 9,311 #722
2011 modern 9,230 #721
2012 modern 9,105 #713
2013 modern 9,215 #720
2014 modern 9,234 #722
2015 modern 9,160 #718
2016 modern 9,103 #721

Geography

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Where Crofts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Clee, Ashburnham, Dallington, Brightling, Ninfield and Batley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rother, Selby, Hastings, Staffordshire Moorlands and Leeds. 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 London parishes London 1
2 Clee Lincolnshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Ashburnham, Dallington, Brightling, Ninfield Sussex
5 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rother 007 Rother
2 Selby 005 Selby
3 Hastings 003 Hastings
4 Staffordshire Moorlands 013 Staffordshire Moorlands
5 Leeds 096 Leeds

Forenames

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First names often paired with Croft

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Croft

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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Croft surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Croft 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 comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Croft 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

Croft 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

Croft 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 Croft is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Croft

The surname Croft is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is a topographic name derived from the Old English word "croft," which means a small enclosed field or meadow near a house or village.

The name was initially used to identify someone who lived near or owned a croft. It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, where crofts were commonly found.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Croft can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, including Croft, Crofte, and Croftes.

In the 13th century, the name Croft appeared in various historical records and manuscripts. One notable example is William de Croft, a landowner in Yorkshire mentioned in the Feet of Fines (legal records) in 1246.

The name Croft has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Croft in Leicestershire and Croft-on-Tees in North Yorkshire. These place names likely originated from the Old English word "croft" and may have influenced the surname.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Croft:

1. Sir Herbert Croft (1603-1691), an English philosopher and churchman who served as the Bishop of Hereford. 2. Henry Croft (1620-1691), an English philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the nature of human understanding. 3. William Croft (1678-1727), an English composer and organist who served as the Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal. 4. Richard Croft (1762-1818), a British admiral who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. 5. Sir Archer Croft (1876-1963), a British civil engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the British aircraft industry.

The surname Croft continues to be prevalent in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with historical ties to England, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Croft families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Croft 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. Yorkshire leads with 1,524 Crofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.23x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 1,524 2.23x
Lancashire 1,111 1.36x
Lincolnshire 607 5.50x
Middlesex 588 0.85x
Surrey 312 0.93x
Sussex 280 2.41x
Kent 255 1.08x
Cheshire 206 1.35x
Hertfordshire 205 4.31x
Durham 201 0.98x
Warwickshire 184 1.06x
Staffordshire 167 0.72x
Northamptonshire 135 2.08x
Worcestershire 97 1.08x
Bedfordshire 82 2.29x
Nottinghamshire 82 0.88x
Dorset 78 1.72x
Essex 74 0.54x
Devon 71 0.49x
Suffolk 70 0.83x
Shropshire 62 1.04x
Cambridgeshire 51 1.17x
Hampshire 49 0.35x
Northumberland 48 0.47x
Westmorland 45 2.97x
Buckinghamshire 43 1.03x
Somerset 42 0.38x
Glamorgan 40 0.33x
Herefordshire 36 1.27x
Angus 31 0.48x
Norfolk 31 0.29x
Derbyshire 28 0.26x
Gloucestershire 27 0.20x
Montgomeryshire 24 1.52x
Lanarkshire 22 0.10x
Leicestershire 22 0.29x
Berkshire 19 0.37x
Monmouthshire 17 0.34x
Flintshire 12 0.65x
Oxfordshire 12 0.28x
Rutland 10 1.97x
Huntingdonshire 9 0.66x
Pembrokeshire 9 0.41x
Radnorshire 8 1.44x
Wiltshire 8 0.13x
Midlothian 7 0.08x
Ayrshire 6 0.12x
Aberdeenshire 5 0.08x
Channel Islands 4 0.20x
Cornwall 3 0.04x
Isle of Man 3 0.23x
Merionethshire 3 0.24x
Brecknockshire 2 0.14x
Royal Navy 2 0.24x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.04x
Cumberland 1 0.02x
Denbighshire 1 0.04x
Fife 1 0.02x
Stirlingshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 116 Crofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.00x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 116 3.00x
Thornton In Fylde 57 31.82x
St Pancras London 56 1.01x
Manchester 51 1.39x
Cleethorpes 50 77.03x
Soothill 50 20.24x
Atherton 48 16.10x
Luton 46 7.44x
Birkenhead 45 3.71x
Ecclesall Bierlow 45 3.24x
Preston 45 2.05x
Brightling 44 276.04x
Everton 43 1.65x
Bradford 42 2.54x
Lambeth 42 0.70x
Liverpool 42 0.84x
Toxteth Park 41 1.48x
Tottenham 40 3.64x
Gainsborough 39 14.99x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 39 4.39x
Thornhill 38 19.04x
Battersea 37 1.46x
Great Grimsby 37 5.28x
Nottingham St Mary 36 1.50x
Scarborough 36 5.79x
Sheffield 35 1.61x
West Ham 35 1.16x
Kensington London 34 0.89x
Aston 33 0.69x
Barton Upon Irwell 33 5.35x
Birmingham 33 0.57x
Kingsthorpe 33 45.74x
St Marylebone London 33 0.90x
Bethnal Green London 32 1.07x
Horton In Bradford 32 3.00x
Stockton On Tees 32 3.23x
Newington 31 1.22x
Walsall Foreign 31 2.58x
Hackney London 30 0.78x
Mile End Old Town London 30 2.04x
West Derby 30 1.25x
Holy Trinity 29 1.76x
St George Hanover Square 29 2.39x
Bedworth 28 22.05x
Middleham 28 144.70x
Barrow In Furness 27 2.42x
Camberwell 27 0.61x
Islington London 27 0.40x
Louth 27 10.68x
Dallington 26 207.34x
Garston 26 10.76x
Halesworth 26 43.62x
Salford 26 1.08x
Shipley 26 7.33x
Yeadon 26 16.84x
Farnley In Bramley 25 29.28x
Over Darwen 25 3.82x
Willesden 25 3.84x
Chiswick 24 6.36x
Horsington 24 282.35x
Brighton 23 0.98x
Great Crosby 23 10.30x
York St Mary 23 8.12x
Clee With Weelsby 22 9.11x
North Scarle 22 180.92x
Rickmansworth 22 16.80x
Salehurst 22 43.67x
Shoreditch London 22 0.74x
Calverley Cum Farsley 21 10.82x
Paddington London 21 0.83x
Richmond 21 4.46x
Tockholes 21 180.26x
Tong 21 15.90x
York St Giles In 21 32.58x
Reeth 20 118.27x
Sedgley 20 2.31x
Skegness 20 63.27x
Tranmere 20 3.57x
Chelsea London 19 0.91x
Westminster St John 19 2.26x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 487
Elizabeth 278
Sarah 262
Ann 136
Jane 129
Emma 127
Annie 111
Ellen 110
Eliza 98
Alice 95
Emily 82
Hannah 81
Martha 77
Margaret 71
Louisa 50
Harriet 42
Fanny 41
Charlotte 40
Ada 37
Clara 37
Frances 37
Edith 36
Caroline 35
Maria 35
Florence 33
Agnes 32
Catherine 30
Lucy 29
Harriett 24
Isabella 24
Rebecca 24
Esther 23
Anne 21
Kate 21
Rose 21
Susan 21
Minnie 20
Amelia 19
Susannah 19
Amy 17
Eleanor 16
Jessie 16
Matilda 16
Gertrude 14
Anna 13
Selina 13
Betsy 12
Elizth. 12
Lizzie 12
Ruth 12

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 438
William 428
Thomas 262
George 252
James 217
Henry 146
Charles 132
Joseph 128
Robert 99
Alfred 63
Edward 63
Frederick 60
Richard 59
Samuel 55
Arthur 54
Walter 46
Albert 40
Harry 36
Herbert 33
Frank 29
Benjamin 28
Ernest 22
David 19
Fred 19
Tom 19
Christopher 16
Edwin 16
Francis 16
Daniel 14
Isaac 13
Percy 13
Thos. 13
Wm. 13
Geo. 12
Peter 11
Stephen 11
Ralph 10
Chas. 9
Fredrick 7
Jesse 7
Jonathan 7
Matthew 7
Michael 7
Sidney 6
Adam 5
Amon 5
Edmund 5
Elias 5
Jas. 5
Moses 5

FAQ

Croft surname: questions and answers

How common was the Croft surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,060 people were recorded with the Croft surname. That placed it at #603 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Croft surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,103 in 2016. That gives Croft a modern rank of #721.

What does the Croft surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a small enclosed field.

What does the Croft map show?

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