NameCensus.

UK surname

Morecroft

In the 1881 census there were 283 people recorded with the Morecroft surname, ranking it #10,119 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 287, ranked #15,212, down from #10,119 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bebbington, Stockport and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Erewash, County Durham and Bury.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Morecroft is 351 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 1.4%.

1881 census count

283

Ranked #10,119

Modern count

287

2016, ranked #15,212

Peak year

1911

351 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Morecroft had 283 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,119 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 287 in 2016, ranked #15,212.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 351 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Morecroft surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Morecroft surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Morecroft 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 193 #10,704
1861 historical 187 #12,690
1881 historical 283 #10,119
1891 historical 299 #11,140
1901 historical 316 #11,242
1911 historical 351 #10,243
1997 modern 296 #13,646
1998 modern 309 #13,612
1999 modern 322 #13,335
2000 modern 314 #13,516
2001 modern 310 #13,452
2002 modern 315 #13,561
2003 modern 319 #13,263
2004 modern 319 #13,342
2005 modern 310 #13,518
2006 modern 312 #13,554
2007 modern 314 #13,618
2008 modern 318 #13,604
2009 modern 327 #13,599
2010 modern 323 #14,005
2011 modern 320 #13,976
2012 modern 314 #14,063
2013 modern 312 #14,332
2014 modern 312 #14,430
2015 modern 299 #14,796
2016 modern 287 #15,212

Geography

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Where Morecrofts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bebbington, Stockport, Toxteth Park, St Werburgh and Eccles. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Erewash, County Durham, Bury and Gloucester. 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 Bebbington Cheshire
2 Stockport Cheshire
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 St Werburgh Derbyshire
5 Eccles Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Erewash 015 Erewash
2 Erewash 011 Erewash
3 County Durham 006 County Durham
4 Bury 007 Bury
5 Gloucester 007 Gloucester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Morecroft

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Morecroft

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

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Morecroft surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Morecroft household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

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, Morecroft 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

Morecroft is most concentrated in decile 5 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.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Morecroft falls in decile 9 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

9
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

1881 census detail

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Morecroft families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Morecroft 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 84 Morecrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.56x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 84 2.56x
Staffordshire 59 6.33x
Cheshire 33 5.42x
Kent 22 2.34x
Middlesex 16 0.58x
Derbyshire 14 3.24x
Essex 10 1.84x
Glamorgan 8 1.66x
Surrey 6 0.45x
Buckinghamshire 5 3.00x
Northumberland 5 1.22x
Sussex 5 1.07x
Gloucestershire 4 0.74x
Warwickshire 3 0.43x
Berkshire 2 0.97x
Hampshire 2 0.35x
Devon 1 0.17x
Hertfordshire 1 0.53x
Lanarkshire 1 0.11x
Leicestershire 1 0.33x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.27x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Armitage in Staffordshire leads with 37 Morecrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 3057.85x.

Place Total Index
Armitage 37 3057.85x
Toxteth Park 17 15.33x
Skelmersdale 15 274.73x
Didsbury 10 229.89x
Hougham 9 160.71x
Derby St Werburgh 8 32.06x
Llantwit Lower 8 189.57x
Sutton 8 72.79x
Tranmere 8 35.73x
West Derby 8 8.35x
Barton Under Needwood 7 414.20x
Ramsgate 7 45.54x
St Giles In Fields 7 73.53x
Chester St Nicholas 6 1538.46x
Derby St Alkmund 6 46.33x
Stockport 6 19.13x
Walsall Foreign 6 12.47x
Birkenhead 5 10.29x
Burnham 5 234.74x
Cheadle 5 42.96x
Lydiate 5 490.20x
Tweedmouth 5 97.66x
Withington 5 47.39x
Battersea 4 3.94x
Dartford 4 41.54x
Dukinfield 4 14.20x
St Pancras London 4 1.80x
Wolverhampton 4 5.58x
Ashton Under Lyne 3 4.19x
Cheltenham 3 7.18x
Oldham 3 2.84x
Romford 3 34.84x
Slaugham 3 200.00x
Barton Upon Irwell 2 8.11x
Bonchurch 2 312.50x
Bromley London 2 3.29x
Disley Stanley 2 63.69x
Everton 2 1.92x
Hastings Holy Trinity 2 58.31x
Longdon 2 155.04x
Oxton 2 57.97x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 3.60x
Sutton Coldfield 2 27.32x
Aston 1 0.52x
Basford 1 5.83x
Berkhampstead 1 23.36x
Bray 1 16.42x
Bristol St James St Paul 1 5.54x
Bromley 1 6.97x
Chorley 1 5.44x
Glasgow 1 0.63x
Great Boughton 1 47.62x
Great Saling 1 303.03x
Hampstead London 1 2.33x
Heaton Norris 1 5.36x
Hoo 1 80.00x
Kibworth Harcourt 1 232.56x
Kirkdale 1 1.81x
Ormskirk 1 15.95x
Pilkington 1 8.04x
Poplar London 1 1.92x
Reading St Giles 1 4.92x
St George Hanover 1 2.78x
Stoke Upon Trent 1 1.01x
Tormoham 1 4.11x
Windle 1 5.43x
Wolstanton Thursfield 1 88.50x
Yoxall 1 81.30x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 24
Elizabeth 10
Ann 7
Margaret 7
Sarah 7
Emma 6
Alice 4
Annie 4
Agnes 3
Caroline 3
Edith 3
Eliza 3
Ellen 3
Hannah 3
Jane 3
Louisa 3
Martha 3
Ada 2
Anne 2
Charlotte 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Gertrude 2
Harriett 2
Maria 2
Rebecca 2
Selina 2
Anna 1
Bridget 1
Catherine 1
Emely 1
Emilier 1
Emily 1
Ethel 1
Eunice 1
Faith 1
Grace 1
Henreietta 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
L. 1
Lavinia 1
Letitia 1
Lilian 1
Lois 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Mabel 1
Maggie 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 14
Thomas 14
George 13
William 12
James 10
Henry 7
Charles 5
Joseph 5
Samuel 4
Richard 3
Albert 2
Edward 2
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Horace 2
Robert 2
Seth 2
Thos. 2
Adam 1
Alexander 1
Alfred 1
Arthur 1
Benjamin 1
Cannon 1
Daniel 1
David 1
E. 1
Edwin 1
Elliot 1
F. 1
Fred 1
Fredrick 1
G. 1
Geo. 1
Hiram 1
Jno.C.E. 1
Lewis 1
Norman 1
Percival 1
R. 1
T. 1
Tom 1
Vincent 1

FAQ

Morecroft surname: questions and answers

How common was the Morecroft surname in 1881?

In 1881, 283 people were recorded with the Morecroft surname. That placed it at #10,119 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Morecroft surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 287 in 2016. That gives Morecroft a modern rank of #15,212.

What does the Morecroft map show?

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