NameCensus.

UK surname

Moorcroft

A surname derived from a place name meaning "a small, marshy area of moorland".

In the 1881 census there were 993 people recorded with the Moorcroft surname, ranking it #3,926 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,713, ranked #3,644, up from #3,926 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burton-on-Trent, London parishes and St Werburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Blackburn with Darwen, West Lancashire and Knowsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Moorcroft is 1,801 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 72.5%.

1881 census count

993

Ranked #3,926

Modern count

1,713

2016, ranked #3,644

Peak year

1999

1,801 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Moorcroft had 993 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,926 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,713 in 2016, ranked #3,644.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,537 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Moorcroft surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Moorcroft surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Moorcroft 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 578 #4,409
1861 historical 510 #5,127
1881 historical 993 #3,926
1891 historical 1,075 #3,911
1901 historical 1,409 #3,584
1911 historical 1,537 #3,157
1997 modern 1,730 #3,445
1998 modern 1,740 #3,567
1999 modern 1,801 #3,473
2000 modern 1,799 #3,456
2001 modern 1,736 #3,502
2002 modern 1,745 #3,573
2003 modern 1,727 #3,535
2004 modern 1,721 #3,539
2005 modern 1,671 #3,597
2006 modern 1,648 #3,643
2007 modern 1,670 #3,628
2008 modern 1,674 #3,642
2009 modern 1,740 #3,597
2010 modern 1,790 #3,587
2011 modern 1,771 #3,577
2012 modern 1,712 #3,623
2013 modern 1,729 #3,648
2014 modern 1,730 #3,671
2015 modern 1,706 #3,668
2016 modern 1,713 #3,644

Geography

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Where Moorcrofts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burton-on-Trent, London parishes, St Werburgh, Liverpool and Ormskirk. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Blackburn with Darwen, West Lancashire, Knowsley and Liverpool. 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 Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Werburgh Derbyshire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Ormskirk Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Blackburn with Darwen 009 Blackburn with Darwen
2 West Lancashire 012 West Lancashire
3 West Lancashire 004 West Lancashire
4 Knowsley 003 Knowsley
5 Liverpool 045 Liverpool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Moorcroft

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Moorcroft

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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Moorcroft 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

Moorcroft 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

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

Meaning and origin of Moorcroft

The surname Moorcroft originates from England, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name Moorecroft, a combination of the Old English words "mor" meaning moor or marsh, and "croft" meaning a small enclosed field or paddock.

This surname is believed to have emerged in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, where the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, mentioning a William de Morecroft.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several listings of places with similar names, such as Morecroft and Moorecroft, which could have been the origins of the surname.

Notable historical figures bearing the Moorcroft surname include Sir Thomas Moorcroft (1557-1623), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gatton during the reign of King James I. Another prominent individual was William Moorcroft (1765-1825), a renowned English explorer and veterinary surgeon, who undertook expeditions to Central Asia and documented his travels extensively.

In the 16th century, records show a John Moorcroft residing in the village of Bramley, Yorkshire, in 1586. Meanwhile, in the 17th century, the Moorcroft family had established themselves in the county of Staffordshire, with a William Moorcroft being recorded as a landowner in the parish of Swynnerton in 1666.

One of the earliest known places associated with the name is the village of Moorecroft, located in the parish of Hilperton, Wiltshire. This village is mentioned in historical documents dating back to the 13th century, and it is likely that some individuals from this area adopted the surname Moorcroft.

Other notable individuals with the Moorcroft surname include Walter Moorcroft (1872-1945), a renowned English potter and founder of the Moorcroft Pottery Company, known for its distinctive ceramic art pieces. Additionally, there was William Moorcroft (1835-1919), a British explorer and geographer who conducted surveys in Central Asia and the Himalayas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Moorcroft families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Moorcroft 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 488 Moorcrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.24x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 488 4.24x
Staffordshire 132 4.03x
Derbyshire 97 6.39x
Surrey 61 1.29x
Cheshire 41 1.92x
Warwickshire 35 1.43x
Middlesex 27 0.28x
Kent 26 0.79x
Essex 16 0.84x
Lanarkshire 12 0.38x
Hertfordshire 10 1.50x
Shropshire 8 0.96x
Cambridgeshire 6 0.98x
Westmorland 6 2.82x
Gloucestershire 5 0.26x
Durham 4 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.23x
Worcestershire 3 0.24x
Yorkshire 3 0.03x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.34x
Huntingdonshire 2 1.04x
Leicestershire 2 0.19x
Bedfordshire 1 0.20x
Berkshire 1 0.14x
Norfolk 1 0.07x
Royal Navy 1 0.87x
Wiltshire 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 54 Moorcrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.73x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 54 7.73x
Everton 47 12.82x
Scarisbrick 37 276.95x
Kirkdale 35 18.08x
North Meols 27 23.97x
Dukinfield 24 24.26x
Newington 24 6.70x
Walton On Hill 22 35.30x
Burton Upon Trent 21 27.43x
Birmingham 19 2.33x
Aughton 17 149.25x
Ormskirk 17 77.20x
Leyland 16 79.92x
Downholland 15 943.40x
Preston 15 4.87x
Upholland 15 101.76x
Wolverhampton 14 5.56x
Armitage 13 305.16x
Camberwell 13 2.10x
West Ham 13 3.08x
Whittington 13 61.90x
Halsall 12 264.32x
Stapenhill 12 53.10x
Hartington Upper 11 151.93x
Manchester 11 2.13x
Walsall Foreign 11 6.51x
West Derby 11 3.27x
Birkdale 10 34.35x
Eckington 10 27.12x
Frindsbury 10 80.19x
Kirkby 10 214.59x
Staveley 10 37.11x
Foston Scropton 9 514.29x
Leek Lowe 9 20.67x
Lydiate 9 251.40x
Tutbury 9 112.78x
Bickerstaffe 8 106.24x
Chorley 8 12.39x
Cleobury Mortimer 8 151.52x
Coventry St Michael 8 10.18x
Cuerdley 8 1025.64x
Derby St Peter 8 16.55x
Hindley 8 16.31x
Oldham 8 2.15x
Simonswood 8 519.48x
Stockport 8 7.26x
Wigan 8 4.98x
Bermondsey 7 2.42x
Horninglow 7 45.40x
Southwark St George Martyr 7 3.59x
Burslem 6 6.40x
Croydon 6 2.29x
Derby St Werburgh 6 6.85x
Hemel Hempstead 6 19.93x
Long Marton 6 252.10x
March 6 29.17x
Norton In Moors 6 34.62x
Tottington Higher End 6 45.80x
Toxteth Park 6 1.54x
Dalton In Wigan 5 303.03x
Kingswinford 5 4.21x
Lesmahagow 5 15.08x
Maidstone 5 5.07x
Netherton 5 390.63x
Smallthorne 5 41.15x
Aston 4 0.59x
Biggin 4 930.23x
Blatchinworth 4 15.27x
Bristol St Augustine 4 13.03x
Cambusnethan 4 5.74x
Charlton 4 18.21x
Maghull 4 83.86x
Skelmersdale 4 20.87x
St Sepulchre London 4 28.17x
Walsall Borough 4 15.74x
Willington 4 24.00x
Church Broughton 3 153.85x
Shoreditch London 3 0.71x
Widnes 3 3.61x
Woolwich 3 2.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 76
John 54
Thomas 40
George 39
James 37
Henry 33
Edward 30
Charles 16
Joseph 16
Robert 15
Alfred 13
Richard 13
Arthur 10
Samuel 8
Albert 6
Frederick 6
Harold 4
Herbert 4
Robt. 4
Walter 4
Wm. 4
Harry 3
Peter 3
Abraham 2
Alexander 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Hugh 2
Ralph 2
Stephen 2
Ann 1
Charley 1
Clifford 1
Daniel 1
Earnest 1
F. 1
Fredk. 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Helen 1
Henery 1
Jas. 1
Jno. 1
Lorenze 1
Nathan 1
Norman 1
Obadiah 1
Philip 1
Reuben 1
Woods 1

FAQ

Moorcroft surname: questions and answers

How common was the Moorcroft surname in 1881?

In 1881, 993 people were recorded with the Moorcroft surname. That placed it at #3,926 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Moorcroft surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,713 in 2016. That gives Moorcroft a modern rank of #3,644.

What does the Moorcroft surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name meaning "a small, marshy area of moorland".

What does the Moorcroft map show?

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