The surname BANCROFT is English in origin, being one of those names derived from the name of a dwelling place or locality where a bearer of the name lived.

The name can be traced to the old english term "of the bank-croft", denoting an enclosure on a slope or bank.

During the Middle Ages it was common practice to identify a man with the area from which he lived, and to then refer to him in this manner. Therefore if a person lived at or near, a single geographical feature such as a slope, this would become their name, and to which they would become known as.

Surnames were also occasionally derived from townships, and it is possible that the name was also originally used by residents of Bencroft in the county of Cambridge, and that the name then became corrupted to Bancroft.

Very early instances of the name were generally prefixed with 'de' meaning 'of ', a preposition used to denote surnames of local origin.

The first recorded instance of the name occured in the Hundred Rolls, a document drawn up in London in 1273, where one Johannes de Bank-Croft is listed.

The modern form of the name began to appear during the 16th century, and in Yorkshire was sometimes spelt Bankcroft.

The Yorkshire areas that supported the name from the begining of the 17th century in any numbers, seem to be the parishes of Kildwick, Halifax, and the ancient chapelry of Heptonstall, gradually then working its way across the moors to Oxenhope, Haworth and Keighley later.

There are also variations of the name listed thoughout Yorkshire, such as Barcroft and Beecroft.

Population listed on 1881 census.

The only counties in England, where significant numbers of Bancroft individuals are listed in 1881 are as follows:

Yorkshire - 984

Lancashire-716

Cheshire - 347

Derbyshire - 281

Middlesex - 120

Lincolnshire- 94

Staffordshire - 77

Leicestershire - 66

Nottinghamshire - 55

All other counties in England, list numbers less than 50 individuals, and many counties show no individuals at all. There are also very few individuals listed in either Scotland or Wales.

It therfore seems clear from this, that the name must have originated in Northern England, in the Yorkshire/Lancashire area.