NameCensus.

UK surname

Whitecross

In the 1881 census there were 367 people recorded with the Whitecross surname, ranking it #8,475 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 349, ranked #13,189, down from #8,475 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Aberdeen and Old Machar. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Jedburgh, Northfield and Piershill and Granton and Royston Mains.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Whitecross is 405 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 4.9%.

1881 census count

367

Ranked #8,475

Modern count

349

2016, ranked #13,189

Peak year

1901

405 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Whitecross had 367 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #8,475 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 349 in 2016, ranked #13,189.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 405 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Whitecross surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Whitecross surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Whitecross 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 227 #9,448
1861 historical 242 #10,154
1881 historical 367 #8,475
1891 historical 392 #9,019
1901 historical 405 #9,405
1911 historical 113 #21,168
1997 modern 354 #12,060
1998 modern 356 #12,399
1999 modern 370 #12,124
2000 modern 357 #12,380
2001 modern 351 #12,349
2002 modern 346 #12,733
2003 modern 330 #12,971
2004 modern 328 #13,058
2005 modern 332 #12,881
2006 modern 318 #13,348
2007 modern 326 #13,260
2008 modern 338 #13,044
2009 modern 356 #12,800
2010 modern 347 #13,325
2011 modern 349 #13,108
2012 modern 352 #12,913
2013 modern 347 #13,260
2014 modern 354 #13,153
2015 modern 346 #13,284
2016 modern 349 #13,189

Geography

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Where Whitecross' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Aberdeen and Old Machar, Athelstaneford and Hartlepool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Jedburgh, Northfield and Piershill, Granton and Royston Mains, Swansea and Keith and Fife Keith. 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 Edinburgh Edinburgh
2 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
3 Aberdeen and Old Machar Aberdeen
4 Athelstaneford Haddington
5 Hartlepool Durham

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Jedburgh Scottish Borders
2 Northfield and Piershill City of Edinburgh
3 Granton and Royston Mains City of Edinburgh
4 Swansea 023 Swansea
5 Keith and Fife Keith Moray

Forenames

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First names often paired with Whitecross

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Whitecross

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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Whitecross surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Whitecross household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Whitecross is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

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

Whitecross 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

Whitecross falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Whitecross is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

1881 census detail

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Whitecross families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Whitecross 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. East Lothian leads with 70 Whitecross' recorded in 1881 and an index of 147.62x.

County Total Index
East Lothian 70 147.62x
Midlothian 64 13.35x
Aberdeenshire 61 18.40x
Angus 44 13.27x
Lanarkshire 23 1.99x
Durham 13 1.22x
Banffshire 12 16.16x
Stirlingshire 12 9.09x
Lancashire 9 0.21x
Pembrokeshire 9 7.91x
Berwickshire 8 18.45x
Surrey 8 0.46x
Middlesex 7 0.20x
Northumberland 6 1.13x
Somerset 6 1.04x
Ayrshire 3 1.12x
Renfrewshire 3 1.08x
Cumberland 2 0.65x
Fife 2 0.94x
Dunbartonshire 1 1.04x
Gloucestershire 1 0.14x
Kincardineshire 1 2.29x
Perthshire 1 0.62x
Yorkshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Dundee in Angus leads with 34 Whitecross' recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.46x.

Place Total Index
Dundee 34 27.46x
Berwick North 20 602.41x
Dirleton 19 1021.51x
South Leith 16 29.65x
North Leith 14 63.09x
Spott 13 1830.99x
Fraserburgh 10 107.18x
Aberdeen Old Machar 9 13.00x
Cruden 9 210.77x
Gladsmuir 9 426.54x
Hartlepool 9 59.45x
Hubberston 9 538.92x
Barony 8 2.73x
Campsie 8 110.34x
Govan 8 2.79x
Old Deer 8 127.39x
Salford 8 6.40x
Edinburgh St Andrews 7 176.77x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 7 3.63x
Edrom 7 376.34x
Glasgow 7 3.41x
Inveresk 7 53.93x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 6 9.67x
Athelstaneford 6 645.16x
Banff 6 93.02x
Bishops Hull 6 322.58x
St Vigeans 6 33.52x
Bromley London 5 6.35x
Peterhead 5 28.52x
Battersea 4 3.04x
Edinburgh St Johns 4 132.01x
Ellon 4 87.72x
Falkirk 4 12.94x
Fintray 4 314.96x
Liff Benvie 4 7.94x
Mid Calder 4 192.31x
Ayr 3 23.73x
Bishopwearmouth 3 3.28x
Dyce 3 209.79x
Edinburgh New 3 80.43x
Keith 3 37.88x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 3 9.43x
Cockermouth 2 30.82x
Deskford 2 188.68x
Hackney London 2 1.00x
Lambeth 2 0.64x
Tynemouth 2 7.01x
Banchory Ternan 1 26.53x
Barrow In Furness 1 1.73x
Berwick Upon Tweed 1 8.86x
Clifton 1 2.82x
Coldstream 1 31.85x
Dunbar 1 15.04x
Edinburgh St Marys 1 10.73x
Edinburgh St Stephens 1 10.59x
Erskine 1 49.51x
Forgan 1 24.63x
Gate Fulford 1 12.08x
Gateshead 1 1.25x
Leuchars 1 37.31x
Luss 1 112.36x
Neilston 1 7.18x
Paisley High Church 1 4.53x
Perth West Church 1 13.12x
Prestonpans 1 31.45x
Slains 1 64.52x
Southwark St Saviour 1 5.43x
St Fergus 1 53.19x
St Nicholas 1 500.00x
Turriff 1 18.69x
Woking 1 9.51x
Yester 1 87.72x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 6
Jane 5
Agnes 3
Alice 2
Isabella 2
L. 2
Sarah 2
Alison 1
Anne 1
Bessy 1
Christian 1
Elizabeth 1
Emma 1
Feronia 1
Florence 1
Jenet 1
Louisa 1
Margaret 1
Maud 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 4
Peter 4
George 3
Thomas 3
William 3
Alexander 2
James 2
Alexr. 1
Andrew 1
David 1
Geo. 1
Richard 1
T. 1
Tom 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Whitecross households.

FAQ

Whitecross surname: questions and answers

How common was the Whitecross surname in 1881?

In 1881, 367 people were recorded with the Whitecross surname. That placed it at #8,475 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Whitecross surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 349 in 2016. That gives Whitecross a modern rank of #13,189.

What does the Whitecross map show?

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