NameCensus.

UK surname

Ravenscroft

A place name meaning "raven's field", derived from Old English elements referring to a raven and an enclosure.

In the 1881 census there were 1,019 people recorded with the Ravenscroft surname, ranking it #3,843 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,762, ranked #3,563, up from #3,843 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Stone, Coppenhall and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cheshire East, Wirral and Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ravenscroft is 1,881 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 72.9%.

1881 census count

1,019

Ranked #3,843

Modern count

1,762

2016, ranked #3,563

Peak year

1999

1,881 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ravenscroft had 1,019 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,843 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,762 in 2016, ranked #3,563.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,396 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Ravenscroft surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Ravenscroft surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ravenscroft 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 530 #4,736
1861 historical 609 #4,362
1881 historical 1,019 #3,843
1891 historical 1,139 #3,735
1901 historical 1,325 #3,781
1911 historical 1,396 #3,460
1997 modern 1,674 #3,554
1998 modern 1,843 #3,387
1999 modern 1,881 #3,351
2000 modern 1,859 #3,363
2001 modern 1,829 #3,348
2002 modern 1,861 #3,368
2003 modern 1,793 #3,404
2004 modern 1,797 #3,397
2005 modern 1,749 #3,454
2006 modern 1,752 #3,457
2007 modern 1,756 #3,482
2008 modern 1,766 #3,493
2009 modern 1,819 #3,471
2010 modern 1,832 #3,513
2011 modern 1,829 #3,487
2012 modern 1,731 #3,589
2013 modern 1,779 #3,567
2014 modern 1,770 #3,591
2015 modern 1,755 #3,591
2016 modern 1,762 #3,563

Geography

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Where Ravenscrofts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Stone, Coppenhall, Manchester, London parishes and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cheshire East, Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester and Warrington. 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 Stone Staffordshire
2 Coppenhall Cheshire
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 London parishes London 2
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cheshire East 024 Cheshire East
2 Wirral 016 Wirral
3 Cheshire West and Chester 005 Cheshire West and Chester
4 Warrington 023 Warrington
5 Cheshire West and Chester 009 Cheshire West and Chester

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ravenscroft

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ravenscroft

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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Ravenscroft is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ravenscroft 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

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

Meaning and origin of Ravenscroft

The surname Ravenscroft is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from a place called Ravenscroft, which means "a croft or small farm where ravens dwell." The name is composed of the Old English words "hræfn" meaning raven and "croft" meaning a small enclosed field or farm.

The earliest recorded mention of the surname Ravenscroft can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1202, where a person named Adam de Ravenescroft is listed. In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, a Johannes de Ravenscrof is also mentioned.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Placita de Quo Warranto of 1292, where a William de Rauenescroft is recorded. The Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332 also list a Richard de Rauenscroft.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Ravenscroft was Thomas Ravenscroft, an English musician and composer who lived from around 1592 to 1635. He is best known for his collections of catches, rounds, and other musical works published in the early 17th century.

Another prominent figure with this surname was Edward Ravenscroft, an English dramatist and poet who lived from 1654 to 1707. He is known for his adaptations of several plays by prominent playwrights of the time, including Molière and John Fletcher.

In the 18th century, a notable Ravenscroft was Thomas Ravenscroft, an English clergyman and astronomer who lived from 1692 to 1742. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and published several works on astronomy.

Later, in the 19th century, there was Charles Ravenscroft, an English cricketer who played for Surrey County Cricket Club between 1846 and 1858. He was a prominent figure in the early development of the sport.

Another notable individual with the surname Ravenscroft was Walter Ravenscroft, an English soldier and explorer who lived from 1841 to 1920. He served in the British Army and participated in several expeditions to Africa, including the Nile Expedition of 1884-1885.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ravenscroft families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ravenscroft 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. Cheshire leads with 295 Ravenscrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.46x.

County Total Index
Cheshire 295 13.46x
Lancashire 273 2.32x
Staffordshire 127 3.79x
Middlesex 78 0.79x
Warwickshire 49 1.96x
Shropshire 45 5.25x
Worcestershire 31 2.39x
Surrey 29 0.60x
Lincolnshire 12 0.76x
Berkshire 11 1.48x
Sussex 10 0.60x
Yorkshire 10 0.10x
Devon 7 0.34x
Denbighshire 6 1.60x
Hampshire 5 0.25x
Derbyshire 4 0.26x
Essex 4 0.20x
Midlothian 4 0.30x
Cambridgeshire 2 0.32x
Durham 2 0.07x
Kent 2 0.06x
Leicestershire 2 0.18x
Montgomeryshire 2 0.88x
Northamptonshire 2 0.21x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.15x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.17x
Channel Islands 1 0.34x
Gloucestershire 1 0.05x
Wiltshire 1 0.11x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Manchester in Lancashire leads with 47 Ravenscrofts recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.87x.

Place Total Index
Manchester 47 8.87x
Monks Coppenhall 35 42.31x
Stone 31 72.31x
Everton 30 7.99x
Aston 29 4.21x
Stoke Upon Trent 23 6.47x
Liscard 22 55.70x
Birmingham 20 2.40x
Kingsley 20 489.00x
Shrewsbury St Julian 19 89.54x
Worcester St Martin 16 91.43x
Chorlton On Medlock 15 8.01x
Over 15 67.33x
Broomhall 14 3255.81x
Hackney London 14 2.51x
Hampton Bickley 13 509.80x
Liverpool 12 1.68x
Tranmere 12 14.90x
Bunbury 11 366.67x
Runcorn 11 21.76x
St George Hanover 11 8.49x
Turton 11 57.02x
Audley 10 30.15x
Burslem 10 10.41x
Chorley 10 15.12x
Darlaston 10 21.59x
Great Grimsby 10 9.92x
Kings Norton 10 8.60x
Salford 10 2.89x
St Pancras London 10 1.25x
Barnsley 9 8.87x
Calveley 9 947.37x
Charnock Richard 9 386.27x
Withington 9 23.71x
Wolstanton 9 8.84x
Broughton In Salford 8 7.43x
Heaton Norris 8 11.93x
Larktn Duckngtn Ovrtn 8 473.37x
Wimbledon 8 14.72x
Ardwick 7 6.59x
Battersea 7 1.92x
East Budleigh 7 71.87x
Euxton 7 179.03x
Hampstead London 7 4.53x
Hulme 7 2.85x
Moulton Eaton In 7 382.51x
Reading St Mary 7 11.73x
Shavington Cum Gresty 7 192.84x
Toxteth Park 7 1.75x
Wharton 7 58.63x
Barton Upon Irwell 6 6.76x
Chester St Oswald 6 15.12x
Eccleston 6 545.45x
Flixton 6 99.34x
Hodnet 6 89.55x
Leftwich 6 61.60x
Lostock Gralam 6 227.27x
Pickhill 6 606.06x
St Giles In Fields 6 17.52x
Warrington 6 4.30x
Wem 6 47.02x
Ashton Under Lyne 5 1.94x
Brighton 5 1.48x
Clerkenwell London 5 2.13x
Harborne 5 4.65x
Lymm 5 31.37x
Northwich 5 143.27x
Norton In Hales 5 393.70x
Peckforton 5 704.23x
Poulton With Fearnhead 5 198.41x
Willenhall 5 7.96x
Alpraham 4 268.46x
Birkenhead 4 2.29x
Crowton 4 254.78x
Gorton 4 3.61x
Hammersmith London 4 1.64x
Harwich St Nicholas 4 26.42x
Lambeth 4 0.46x
Walsall Foreign 4 2.31x
Widnes 4 4.71x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 69
Elizabeth 43
Sarah 41
Eliza 21
Jane 20
Ann 19
Alice 17
Ellen 15
Emma 15
Martha 15
Hannah 13
Emily 12
Agnes 11
Annie 11
Margaret 11
Amelia 7
Caroline 7
Catherine 7
Clara 7
Charlotte 6
Florence 6
Frances 6
Harriet 6
Louisa 6
Ada 5
Maria 5
Anne 4
Edith 4
Fanny 4
Kate 4
Elizth. 3
Laura 3
Amy 2
Bertha 2
Dorothy 2
Eleanor 2
Esther 2
Ethel 2
Gertrude 2
Henrietta 2
Julia 2
Lousia 2
May 2
My 2
Myra 2
Nancy 2
Selina 2
Sophia 2
Violet 2
Winifred 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 85
William 58
George 46
Thomas 31
Charles 21
James 20
Joseph 20
Samuel 15
Henry 13
Edward 11
Robert 10
Albert 8
Frederick 8
Richard 8
Arthur 7
Edwin 7
Alfred 6
Benjamin 6
Frank 6
Stephen 6
Herbert 5
Walter 5
Harry 4
Clement 3
Edwd. 3
Enoch 3
Ernest 3
Fred 3
Jas. 3
Peter 3
Ralph 3
Wm. 3
Allen 2
Burton 2
F. 2
Francis 2
Henshall 2
Isaac 2
J. 2
Jonathan 2
Leonard 2
Percy 2
Reuben 2
Seth 2
Caroline 1
Chas. 1
Ellen 1
Elmar 1
Enock 1
Wm.G. 1

FAQ

Ravenscroft surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ravenscroft surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,019 people were recorded with the Ravenscroft surname. That placed it at #3,843 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ravenscroft surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,762 in 2016. That gives Ravenscroft a modern rank of #3,563.

What does the Ravenscroft surname mean?

A place name meaning "raven's field", derived from Old English elements referring to a raven and an enclosure.

What does the Ravenscroft map show?

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