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Crisp History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Crisp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Old French personal name Crispin, Latin "Crispinus," a family name derived from "crispus" meaning "curly-haired" (see Crisp). This name was especially popular in France in the early Middle Ages, having been borne by a saint who was martyred at Soissons in AD c. 285 along with a companion, Crispinianus (whose name is a further derivative of the same word).

Early Origins of the Crisp family

The surname Crisp was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family has been a prominent family for centuries, and held a family seat with lands and manor. The family were well established in the region of Calvados and several members of the family distinguished themselves through their contributions toward the community in which they lived and were rewarded with lands, titles and letters patent confirming their nobility. This great family of Normandy were Counts of Vexin, seignior of Neaufles, Livarot and Blangy. His castle was at Livarot about 1015.

Early History of the Crisp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crisp research. Another 151 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1074, 1520 and 1572 are included under the topic Early Crisp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crisp Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Crispin, Crespin, Crisp, Crespigny, Crespine and others.

Early Notables of the Crisp family

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

Crisp Ranking

In the United States, the name Crisp is the 2,214^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1

Crisp migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Crisp Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Benjamin Crisp, who arrived at Waterdown, Massachusetts in 1630
Benjamin Crisp, who landed in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1639 2
Francis Crisp, a servant sent to Virginia in 1659
Anth Crisp, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 2
Christopher Crisp, who arrived in Virginia in 1677 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crisp Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Crisp, who arrived in Rappahannock, VA in 1727

Crisp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Downing Crisp, who settled in Galveston, TX in 1836
George Crisp, aged 35, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 2

Crisp migration to Australia +

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

Crisp Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Benjamin Crisp, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 3
Mr. Samuel Crisp, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Mr. Samuel Crisp, (b. 1805), aged 21, British Convict who was convicted in Essex, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Emma Crisp, English convict from Warwick, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Mr. George Crisp, English convict who was convicted in Ipswich, Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crisp 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:

Crisp Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Crisp, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Simlah" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand in 1851 8
Thomas Crisp, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
Mary Crisp, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
W. S. Crisp, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
Elizabeth Crisp, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crisp 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. 9

Crisp Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Crisp, who settled in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Crisp (post 1700) +

Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp (b. 1979), American Major League Baseball center fielder
Charles Frederick Crisp (1845-1896), American Democratic politician, Representative from Georgia (1883-1896) and Speaker of the House (1891-1895)
Clement Andrew Crisp OBE (1926-2022), British dance critic for the Financial Times from 1956 to 2020
Quentin Crisp (1908-1999), born Denis Charles Pratt, an English writer and raconteur
George William "Donald" Crisp (1882-1974), English Academy Award winning film actor for his supporting role in How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Norman James "N.J." Crisp (1923-2005), British television writer, dramatist and novelist
Terry Crisp (b. 1943), Canadian NHL ice hockey center, member of two Stanley Cup championship teams
Thomas Crisp (1876-1917), recipient of the Victoria Cross
Ruth Crisp (d. 1960), New Zealand poet, philanthropist
Frank Crisp (1843-1919), English lawyer and microscopist
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Crisp family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Albert Hector Crisp (d. 1912), aged 35, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 10

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html