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Crossley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Crossley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Crossley is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived at a region known as the cross or for the dweller at the cross. 1

Early Origins of the Crossley family

The surname Crossley was first found in Lancashire where "the name of an ancient gentle family of Todmorden during the 14th and loth centuries and of Scaitcliffe since the reign of Elizabeth." 2 Another source confirms Scaitcliffe as the point of origin, but adds "anciently Del Croslegh, are of unknown antiquity." 3

We must look to nearby Yorkshire to find the first records of the family though. It is there that the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes de Crosselay; and Willelmus de Crosselay as holding lands there at that time.

"The same record (p. 189) registers the following inhabitants of Stansfield (Halifax), where the surname is now so strong—Isabella Groslee, Elena Crossle, Thomas Grosseleys, Johannes Grosles. The change of initial from 'C' to 'G' and vice versa is common; compare Crandidge for Grandage, also a Yorkshire instance." 4

Early History of the Crossley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crossley research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1365, 1670 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Crossley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crossley Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Crossley family name include Crossley, Crossleigh, Crosslie, Crossly, Croseleigh, Croseley, Crosslay, Crosslow, Crosselie, Crosseley and many more.

Early Notables of the Crossley family

Distinguished members of the family include David Crosly (1670-1744), English Baptist minister, born in the neighbourhood of Todmorden, Lancashire. He was brought up by a pious aunt, and in his youth worked as...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crossley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crossley Ranking

In the United States, the name Crossley is the 6,089^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Crossley is ranked the 821^st most popular surname with an estimated 8,277 people with that name. 6

Crossley migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Crossley surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Crossley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Crossley, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 7

Crossley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ann, Martha, Mary, Susannah, Crossley who, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1765

Crossley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Crossley, aged 26, who arrived in America in 1822 7
William Crossley, who settled in New York in 1823
Joseph Crossley, aged 34, who landed in Kennebunk, Me in 1830 7
William Crossley, who landed in New York in 1843 7
Enoch, Frank, George, Henry, John, Robert, Stansfield, Thomas, Walter, and William Crossley, all, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1847 and 1872
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crossley migration to Australia +

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

Crossley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Crossley, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 8
Mr. Richard Crossley, English convict who was convicted in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Crossley, English convict who was convicted in Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. James Crossley, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. John Crossley, English convict who was convicted in Salford, Great Manchester, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crossley 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:

Crossley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Crossley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Phoenix" in 1860
F. Crossley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1871
William Crossley, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Nations" in 1874
Elizabeth Crossley, aged 26, a cook, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Nations" in 1874
John Crossley, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wairoa" in 1881
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Crossley (post 1700) +

Wallace Crossley (1874-1943), American politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri and publisher of The Daily Star-Journal
Shanna Annette Crossley (b. 1983), American professional basketball player
James Crossley (1800-1883), English author, born at Halifax on 31 March 1800, son of James Crossley 12
Kelsey-Beth Crossley (b. 1992), English actress, best known for her role as Scarlett Nicholls, on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale
James Crossley (b. 1973), English bodybuilder and actor, best known for his role as Hunter in the television series Gladiators from 1993-2000
Geoffrey Crossley (1921-2002), English racing driver
Francis Crossley (1839-1897), who with his brother William J. (1844-1911) founded Crossley Motors and Crossley, an English pioneer in the production of internal combustion engines and since 1988, part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group
Herbert Crossley (1901-1921), English heavyweight boxer
Edward Crossley (1841-1905), English businessman, Liberal Party politician and astronomer, eponym of the Crossley telescope, California
Syd Crossley (1885-1960), English film actor who appeared in 114 films
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Crossley family +

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Sylvia Ellen Crossley, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 13
Mr. Cyrus Crossley, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 13

The Crossley 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: Credo et amo
Motto Translation: I believe and love.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/