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

Roycroft, 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 Roycroft surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Roycroft in America

Roycroft is the 39659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Roycroft surname appeared 554 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Roycroft.

We can also compare 2010 data for Roycroft 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 Roycroft

The surname Roycroft is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Rawcroft" or "Raycroft," which were variants of the Old English words "ra," meaning roebuck or roe deer, and "croft," referring to a small enclosed field or meadow.

The name is believed to have originated in the county of Lancashire, where several townships and hamlets carried variations of this name, such as Raycroft in Rainhill and Rawcroft in Aughton. These place names likely represented areas where roe deer were commonly found, or where roe deer enclosures existed.

One of the earliest recorded appearances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from the 13th century, where a Robert de Raycroft is mentioned. This suggests that the surname was already in use during this time period.

In the 14th century, the Rawcroft family held lands in the township of Rawcroft in Aughton, near Ormskirk. A prominent member of this family was Richard de Rawcroft, who served as the Bailiff of West Derby in 1346.

Another notable figure was Thomas Roycroft (c. 1616-1677), an English author and clergyman who wrote several works on religious subjects, including "The Falsehood of Human Virtues" and "The Life of John, the Baptist."

In the 17th century, the Roycroft family had established itself in the county of Staffordshire. One member, Thomas Roycroft (1628-1677), was a successful ironmaster and industrialist who founded the Roycroft Ironworks in Shelton, Staffordshire.

The 18th century saw the emergence of a prominent line of Roycrofts in the legal profession. William Roycroft (1737-1816) was a notable barrister and judge who served as the Chief Justice of Barbados from 1799 to 1816.

In more recent times, the surname Roycroft has been associated with the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915), a writer, publisher, and philosopher, established the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Roycroft

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

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 Roycroft 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 Roycroft 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 Roycroft was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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