Show ContentsCrayne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The descendants of a Boernician family in ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Crayne. It is a name for a person whose was tall, and had long legs. This nickname derived from the Old English words cranuc, and cornuc, which mean crane.

Early Origins of the Crayne family

The surname Crayne was first found in Suffolk, England, before the name made its way North to Scotland.

"In 1261 an inquest found that a man named Crane had held, by gift of King William the Lion, the lands of Inyaney and the office of gate-keeper of the royal castle, and that he never raised an army or gave assistance or did anything else in the world for the said lands, except gate-keeper of our lord the king's castle of Montrose. Cran and Crann are current in the shires of Aberdeen, Banff, and Inverness, and Patrick Crane is recorded in Aberdeen in 1398. Crane is the spelling used by an old family in the parish of Maryton." 1

Early History of the Crayne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crayne research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1398 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Crayne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crayne Spelling Variations

Before the printing press and the first dictionaries appeared, names and other words were often spelled differently every time they were written. Crayne has appeared under the variations Crane, Craine, Crain, Cran, Crann, Crayne and others.

Early Notables of the Crayne family

More information is included under the topic Early Crayne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Crayne family to Ireland

Some of the Crayne family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Crayne migration to the United States +

The Scots who crossed the Atlantic were often on the run from poverty as well as persecution. They brought little with them, and often had nothing of their home country to hand down to their children. In the 20th century, Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations have helped the ancestors of Boernician Scots to recover their lost national legacy. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Crayne were among those contributors:

Crayne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Crayne, who settled in Maryland in 1683

Australia Crayne migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Crayne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Crayne, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 9th Mary 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 2


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie


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