Find out how popular the last name Croft is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Croft.

Croft, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Croft surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Croft in America

Croft is the 2766th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Croft surname appeared 13,047 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Croft.

We can also compare 2010 data for Croft to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Croft

The surname Croft is of English origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is a topographic name derived from the Old English word "croft," which means a small enclosed field or meadow near a house or village.

The name was initially used to identify someone who lived near or owned a croft. It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, where crofts were commonly found.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Croft can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, including Croft, Crofte, and Croftes.

In the 13th century, the name Croft appeared in various historical records and manuscripts. One notable example is William de Croft, a landowner in Yorkshire mentioned in the Feet of Fines (legal records) in 1246.

The name Croft has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Croft in Leicestershire and Croft-on-Tees in North Yorkshire. These place names likely originated from the Old English word "croft" and may have influenced the surname.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Croft:

1. Sir Herbert Croft (1603-1691), an English philosopher and churchman who served as the Bishop of Hereford.
2. Henry Croft (1620-1691), an English philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the nature of human understanding.
3. William Croft (1678-1727), an English composer and organist who served as the Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal.
4. Richard Croft (1762-1818), a British admiral who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
5. Sir Archer Croft (1876-1963), a British civil engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the British aircraft industry.

The surname Croft continues to be prevalent in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with historical ties to England, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Croft

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Croft.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Croft was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Croft has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Croft was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Croft, please contact us.

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