Wishlist
Menu
Cart
HouseofNames
Wishlist
Cart

Show ContentsCribb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Product

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

4.9 Average Rating

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Cribb family name to the British Isles. Cribb comes from the Old English given name Crispin, which derives from a Latin nickname which means curly-haired. 1 Much of the popularity of the name in the early Middle Ages is a result of the popularity of St. Crispin, who was martyred at Soissons in 285 AD.

Early Origins of the Cribb family

The surname Cribb was first found in Oxfordshire where they had been granted the lands of Cowley by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The source Old English Bynames lists the name in the Latin form: Benedictus Crispus c.1030 as the first record of the family. Almost two hundred years later, Walter Crips was listed in the source Early London Personal Names as living there c. 1200. 2 Later the family became well established in Norfolk, where they are to this day well known.

In Norfolk, the family goes back at least as far as the 14th century. "In 1388, Richard Crispe was patron of the living of Cockthorp, to which he presented one of the family; another Richard Crispe was buried in Erenze church in 1517." 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Robert le Crespe in Oxfordshire; Thomas le Crespe in Somerset; and Gilbert le Crispe in Oxfordshire. 1

Early History of the Cribb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cribb research. Another 242 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1533, 1599, 1600, 1603, 1625, 1628, 1630, 1643, 1666, 1692, 1749 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Cribb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cribb Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Crisp, Cripps, Crispin, Crispe, Crisppin, Crispp and many more.

Early Notables of the Cribb family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Nicholas Crisp (1599?-1666), English Royalist, descended from a family possessing estates in Gloucestershire and engaged in trade in London; Ellis Crisp (died 1625), Sheriff of London; Tobias Crisp D.D. (1600-1643), an English clergyman and reputed antinomian; and Sir Nicholas Crispe, 1st Baronet (c.1599-1666), an English Royalist and a wealthy merchant who pioneered the...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cribb Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cribb Ranking

In the United States, the name Cribb is the 8,582nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Ireland Migration of the Cribb family to Ireland

Some of the Cribb family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Cribb migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Cribb or a variant listed above:

Cribb Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Benjamin Cribb, British settler who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 5
  • Jo Cribb, aged 30, who arrived in New England aboard the ship "The Christian" in 1634 6

Australia Cribb migration to Australia +

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

Cribb Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Cribb, English convict from Essex, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Robert Cribb, British Convict who was convicted in Gloucestershire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. Isaac Cribb, (Melsom), (b. 1786), aged 29, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. Jacob Cribb, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Glouchestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. Thomas Cribb, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Cribb migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cribb Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Cribb, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Phoebe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 18th April 1843 10
  • Mr. Timothy Cribb, (b. 1826), aged 38, British farm labourer travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 11
  • Mrs. Ellen Cribb, (b. 1828), aged 36, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 11
  • Miss Sarah Ann Cribb, (b. 1854), aged 10, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 11
  • Mr. Arthur Cribb, (b. 1856), aged 8, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Cribb migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12
Cribb Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Richard Cribb, aged 19, who landed in Barbados in 1635 6
  • Mr. Richard Cribb, (b. 1616), aged 19, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Alexander" arriving in Barbados in 1635 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Cribb (post 1700) +

  • Tom Cribb (1781-1848), English world champion bare-knuckle boxer, member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame 14
  • Stanley Roy "Stan" Cribb (1905-1989), English professional footballer
  • Benjamin Cribb (1807-1874), English-born, Australian businessman and politician
  • Bruce Brian Hoani Cribb (b. 1946), New Zealand former speedway rider
  • Ernest Frank Cribb (1885-1957), Canadian silver medalist sailor at the 1932 Summer Olympics
  • Ronald Te Huia Cribb (b. 1976), New Zealand former rugby union player
  • Roger Llewellyn Dunmore Cribb (1948-2007), Australian archaeologist and anthropologist
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. John Hatfield Cribb (d. 1912), aged 44, English Third Class passenger from Bournemouth, Dorset who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 15
  • Miss Laura Mae Cribb, aged 16, English Third Class passenger from Bournemouth, Dorset who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived in the sinking in life boat 12 15
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  6. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  13. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  14. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  15. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Houseofnames.com on Facebook