Explore the Family Name Croft
The meaning of Croft
1. English: habitational name from any of several places, for example in Lincolnshire, Lancashire, Herefordshire, and North Yorkshire, all named with Old English croft ‘small arable enclosure (normally adjoining a house)’, or a topographic name for someone who lived by a croft, from Middle English croft. 2. English: possibly in some cases a variant of Craft 2. 3. Americanized form of German, Danish, Swedish, or Jewish Kraft. Compare Kroft and Craft.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Croft in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Croft has experienced a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 2,616th most popular name in the United States, but by 2010, it fell slightly to the 2,766th spot, a decrease of 5.73 percent. Despite this drop in ranking, the actual count of people with the Croft surname increased from 12,702 in 2000 to 13,047 in 2010, an increase of about 2.72 percent. The proportion of individuals with the Croft surname per 100,000 residents also decreased from 4.71 to 4.42.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,616 | #2,766 | -5.73% |
| Count | 12,702 | 13,047 | 2.72% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.71 | 4.42 | -6.16% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Croft
The Decennial U.S. Census data also reveals interesting shifts in the ethnic identities associated with the Croft surname between 2000 and 2010. The largest group of individuals identifying as Croft remained those of White ethnicity, although their proportion decreased slightly from 88.21 percent to 86.60 percent. Notably, there was a significant increase in the proportion of individuals of Hispanic ethnicity, which jumped from 1.36 percent to 2.13 percent, representing an impressive 56.62 percent change. Slight increases were also observed among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, two or more races, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native. However, some data was suppressed for privacy reasons.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 88.21% | 86.6% | -1.83% |
| Black | 8.12% | 8.6% | 5.91% |
| Hispanic | 1.36% | 2.13% | 56.62% |
| Two or More Races | 1.34% | 1.66% | 23.88% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.53% | 0.54% | 1.89% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.43% | 0.48% | 11.63% |
Croft ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Croft is British & Irish, which comprises 59.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.9%) and Scandinavian (5.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 59.1% |
| French & German | 21.9% |
| Scandinavian | 5.0% |
| Other | 14.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Croft
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Croft have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 90.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 90.80% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 90.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 90.20% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 89.90% |
What Croft haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Croft is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-Z58 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Dodd, Jarvis, Knott, Jeffery, Renner, Shaw, Lowe, Lloyd, Jameson, Hartmann.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Croft surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Croft have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Croft" Surname 39.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Croft" Surname 25.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Croft" Surname 23.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Croft" Surname 19.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Croft?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Croft are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition