NameCensus.

UK surname

Marcroft

An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "boundary wood".

In the 1881 census there were 294 people recorded with the Marcroft surname, ranking it #9,859 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 311, ranked #14,376, down from #9,859 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Toxteth Park and Rawmarsh, Wath-on-Dearn (Swinton). In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rochdale, Rossendale and St. Helens.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Marcroft is 394 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 5.8%.

1881 census count

294

Ranked #9,859

Modern count

311

2016, ranked #14,376

Peak year

1911

394 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Marcroft had 294 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,859 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 311 in 2016, ranked #14,376.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 394 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Marcroft surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Marcroft surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Marcroft 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 229 #9,390
1861 historical 286 #8,793
1881 historical 294 #9,859
1891 historical 371 #9,405
1901 historical 354 #10,347
1911 historical 394 #9,394
1997 modern 306 #13,353
1998 modern 303 #13,809
1999 modern 307 #13,757
2000 modern 296 #14,044
2001 modern 293 #13,933
2002 modern 296 #14,110
2003 modern 303 #13,718
2004 modern 295 #14,025
2005 modern 295 #13,972
2006 modern 299 #13,949
2007 modern 295 #14,198
2008 modern 298 #14,206
2009 modern 302 #14,353
2010 modern 298 #14,812
2011 modern 308 #14,356
2012 modern 312 #14,131
2013 modern 316 #14,223
2014 modern 318 #14,246
2015 modern 312 #14,347
2016 modern 311 #14,376

Geography

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Where Marcrofts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Toxteth Park, Rawmarsh, Wath-on-Dearn (Swinton), Sheffield and Middleton. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rochdale, Rossendale 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Toxteth Park Lancashire
3 Rawmarsh, Wath-on-Dearn (Swinton) Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Middleton Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rochdale 023 Rochdale
2 Rossendale 004 Rossendale
3 Rossendale 008 Rossendale
4 St. Helens 010 St. Helens
5 Rochdale 021 Rochdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Marcroft

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Marcroft

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

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Marcroft is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. 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 concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Marcroft is most concentrated in decile 9 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.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Marcroft 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 Marcroft is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Marcroft

The surname Marcroft has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval era. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Marcroft," which likely referred to a boundary or enclosed area near a marsh or fen. The name is believed to have originated in Lancashire or Yorkshire, where the earliest records of the surname can be found.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Marcroft appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, where a John de Marcroft is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the 14th century. The prefix "de" in the name indicates that the family originated from a specific location called Marcroft.

In the 15th century, the name Marcroft is found in various records, such as the Yorkshire Chantry Surveys of 1546, where a Thomas Marcroft is listed as a landowner. The spelling variations at the time included Marcrofte, Marcroft, and Mercroth.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Marcroft family appears to have spread across different parts of England. In 1586, a Richard Marcroft was recorded in the Wills and Administrations of Berkshire. Additionally, in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674, a John Marcroft is listed in Staffordshire.

One notable figure with the surname Marcroft was Sir William Marcroft, a successful merchant and banker who lived in the late 17th century. He was born in 1652 and became an influential figure in London's financial circles, serving as a director of the Bank of England from 1694 to 1702.

Another individual of note was Thomas Marcroft, a lawyer and political figure born in 1768. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Shaftesbury from 1806 to 1812 and was known for his legal expertise and involvement in various political debates of the time.

In the 19th century, the name Marcroft continued to appear in various records. For instance, the 1881 census of England and Wales lists a John Marcroft, born in 1829, who worked as a farmer in Derbyshire. Additionally, a Robert Marcroft, born in 1847, was recorded as a coal miner in Lancashire in the same census.

Other notable individuals with the surname Marcroft include Walter Marcroft, a prominent architect born in 1879, who designed several churches and public buildings in the early 20th century, and Emily Marcroft, a celebrated artist and illustrator born in 1892, known for her intricate botanical illustrations.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Marcroft families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Marcroft 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 220 Marcrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.46x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 220 6.46x
Yorkshire 53 1.86x
Surrey 7 0.50x
Middlesex 6 0.21x
Derbyshire 3 0.67x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.38x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.58x
Devon 1 0.17x
Kent 1 0.10x
Staffordshire 1 0.10x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Castleton in Lancashire leads with 48 Marcrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 141.22x.

Place Total Index
Castleton 48 141.22x
Tonge 26 364.15x
Middleton In Oldham 24 235.29x
Spotland 19 50.22x
Oldham 15 13.66x
Leeds 14 8.72x
Rawmarsh 12 119.52x
Rotherham 10 62.42x
Brightside Bierlow 8 14.35x
Bury 8 20.58x
Liverpool 8 3.87x
Butterworth 7 84.44x
Todmorden Walsden 7 76.75x
Toxteth Park 7 6.07x
North Meols 6 18.01x
Wardleworth 6 30.85x
Heap 5 27.70x
Newchurch 5 17.96x
Salford 5 5.00x
Swinton In Rotherham 5 66.58x
Newington 4 3.78x
Chadderton 3 18.03x
Fairfield 3 100.00x
Farnworth 3 14.71x
Kirkdale 3 5.24x
Prestwich 3 35.34x
Wigan 3 6.31x
Doncaster 2 9.63x
St George Hanover 2 5.34x
St Marylebone London 2 1.31x
West Derby 2 2.01x
Aberdeen Old Machar 1 1.80x
Birkdale 1 11.61x
Camberwell 1 0.55x
Caterham 1 16.18x
Clerkenwell London 1 1.48x
Crompton 1 10.32x
Hindley 1 6.89x
Hulme 1 1.41x
Hunslet 1 2.26x
Kearsley 1 13.97x
Kensington London 1 0.63x
Lower Booths 1 16.39x
Manchester 1 0.65x
Padbury 1 192.31x
Sedgley 1 2.78x
Tonbridge 1 2.83x
Tormoham 1 3.96x
Upperthong 1 41.32x
Wandsworth 1 3.62x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 18
Sarah 16
Alice 10
Martha 10
Elizabeth 6
Emily 6
Emma 6
Hannah 5
Jane 5
Ellen 4
Esther 4
Annie 3
Clara 3
Edith 3
Eliza 3
Fanny 3
Maria 3
Amelia 2
Ann 2
Bridget 2
Caroline 2
Margaret 2
Ruth 2
Susannah 2
Charlotte 1
E. 1
Eda 1
Edna 1
Ellener 1
Florence 1
Franches 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
J.J. 1
Jemima 1
Jessie 1
Johanna 1
John 1
Kate 1
Lilly 1
Lousia 1
Lucinda 1
Margret 1
Matilda 1
Mgt. 1
Miria 1
Oliva 1
Patience 1
Phoebe 1
Polly 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
James 16
John 13
Thomas 13
William 10
Joseph 8
George 7
Richard 5
Robert 5
Benjamin 4
Harry 4
Alfred 3
Edward 3
Frank 3
Henry 3
Thos. 3
Charles 2
Daniel 2
Frederick 2
Peter 2
Walter 2
Adam 1
Albert 1
Allen 1
Chas. 1
Christopher 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
Howarth 1
Ina 1
Isaiah 1
Jesse 1
Jessie 1
Matthew 1
Rbt. 1
Squire 1
Thos 1
Thos.Hy. 1
Waltor 1
Watson 1
Willia 1
Wm 1
Wm. 1
Zachariah 1

FAQ

Marcroft surname: questions and answers

How common was the Marcroft surname in 1881?

In 1881, 294 people were recorded with the Marcroft surname. That placed it at #9,859 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Marcroft surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 311 in 2016. That gives Marcroft a modern rank of #14,376.

What does the Marcroft surname mean?

An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "boundary wood".

What does the Marcroft map show?

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