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Croker History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Croker History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Croker comes from when its first bearer worked as a "grower of saffron," one of the most sought after and expensive spices. Alternatively, the name could have been from an occupation as in "the crocker," a potter, a maker of crocks, From Middle English word "crokke," an earthen pitcher. 1

Early Origins of the Croker family

The surname Croker was first found in Devon where the first record of the family was John le Crochere recorded during the reign of Henry III - Edward I. "By tradition, Crocker is one of the most ancient of Devonshire names. " 2 "Lyneham, for nearly four centuries, was the seat of the great Devonshire family of Crocker. In Yealmpton Church is one of the finest brasses in the county, to Sir John Crocker of Lyneham, cupbearer to Edward IV." 3

Later the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Simon le Crockere and William Crockare in Oxfordshire and the Writs of Parliament in 1301 listed John le Crokere. 1

Hotten's Lists of Emigrants has some early entries for the surname in the United States: 'Richard Crocker, a child, living in Virginia, 1623' and 'Henry Crocker came to Virginia in the Abigail, 1620.'

Other early entries for the family include some early Latin versions: Helias de Creuequor in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk in 1158; Robert de Creuequoer in the 1195 Pipe Rolls for Kent; Robert de Crouequoer, again in Kent in 1200; Rainald and Alexander Creuker in the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire in 1212 and finally, Robert de Crequer in Cheshire in 1284. 4

The fictional Betty Crocker was used in advertising campaigns for food and recipes for the Washburn-Crosby Company in 1921. Apparently the name "Betty was selected because it was viewed as a cheery, All-American name. It was paired with the last name Crocker, in honor of William Crocker, a Washburn Crosby Company director." The brand was later bought by General Mills in 1954.

Early History of the Croker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Croker research. Another 260 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1641, 1670 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Croker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Croker Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Croker include Croker, Crocker, Croager, Crough, Croaker, Croke and others.

Early Notables of the Croker family

Distinguished members of the family include

John (Johann) Croker (1670-1741), a well-known engraver of English coins and medals, of German origin, born at Dresden 21 Oct...

Croker Ranking

In the United States, the name Croker is the 17,398^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Croker migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Croker or a variant listed above:

Croker Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Croker, who landed in Virginia in 1711 6

Croker Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Croker, who settled in New York State in 1820
Abraham Croker, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1830 6
Ambrose, Bernard, Daniel, James, Patrick Croker, all, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1773 and 1858

Croker migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Croker Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. James Croker, aged 23 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Horatio" departing 18th July 1847 from Limerick, Ireland; the ship arrived on 3rd September 1847 but he died on board 7

Croker migration to Australia +

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

Croker Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Croker, British convict who was convicted in Fredericton, Nova Scotia, Canada for 21 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Ann Croker, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "John Banks" 9
Mr. James Croker, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 6 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia
Edward Croker, aged 15, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"
Henry Martin Croker, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"

Croker 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:

Croker Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Major Croker, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 8th November 1858 10
Mrs. Croker, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 8th November 1858 10
Child Croker, (b. 1858), aged Infant, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 8th November 1858 10
Mr. Croker, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship "Tornado" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 10
Mrs. Croker, British settler with 4 children travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship "Tornado" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Croker (post 1700) +

Clay Martin Croker (1962-2016), American animator and voice actor on the animated series Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Richard Croker (1841-1922), American politician
Brendan Croker (1953-2023), English musician, who recorded albums under his own name and with occasional backing band; The Five O'Clock Shadows
Thomas Crofton Croker (1798-1854), Irish antiquary and folklorist, son of Thomas Croker, a major in the army 11
Temple Henry Croker (1730-1790), Irish miscellaneous writer, a native of Cork 11
John Wilson Croker (1780-1857), Irish politician, born in Galway, 20 Dec. 1780, son of John Croker, a man of an old Devonshire stock, who was for many years surveyor-general of customs and excise in Ireland 11
Isabella Croker, Australian landowner who originally held Croom, New South Wales in 1839; she sold it the following year
Edgar Alfred Croker, Secretary and Chief Executive of the Football Association

The Croker Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Deus alit eos
Motto Translation: God feeds them.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 71)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
South Australian Register Wednesday 30th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) John Banks 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/johnbanks1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020