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Crouch History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Crouch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Crouch is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Crouch family once lived near a crossroads. The name is derived from the Old English word crouch, and/or cruc.

Early Origins of the Crouch family

The surname Crouch was first found in Somerset where John atte Crouche was the first listing of the family 1, Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: John atte Cruche (no county); Millesenta Cruche, Norfolk; and Robert Cruche, Norfolk. 2

"This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the cross,' i.e. the roadside or market-cross, once so familiar a sight at the intersection of the great country thoroughfares, or in the chartered market-steads. Crouch still lingers in our 'crutched' or 'crouched friars.' Langland describes a pilgrim as having 'many a crouch' embroidered 'on his cloke.' Blomefield says of an old Norwich church, 'St. Crowche's was dedicated in honour of the Invention of the Holy Cross, but is now totally demolished; the churchyard is still surrounded with common lanes or passages'." 3

The word crouch "was applied in general to such crosses as stood at the intersection of two roads and although they have long disappeared, they have left the name of 'cross' and 'crouch' upon many localities, especially in the South of England. In Sussex, where the name is one of the oldest indigenous designations (especially in the Cinque Ports) it is found in the forms of Crouch and De Cruce, 20 Edw. I." 4

In Scotland, the name was derived "from a residence at or near a roadside cross or crucifix, ME. crouche. The surname is more English than Scottish. Johannes Crooch witnessed a confirmation charter by Alexander Cumyn, earl of Buchan, to the canons of St. Andrews. John Cruche was burgess of the Canongate, Edinburgh, 1567." 5

Early History of the Crouch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crouch research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1607, 1628, 1635, 1660, 1671, 1679, 1681, 1710, 1775, 1780 and 1786 are included under the topic Early Crouch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crouch 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 Crouch family name include Crouch, Crooch, Croucher, Croutch, Crowch, Crowcher, Crouche and many more.

Early Notables of the Crouch family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Thomas Crouch (1607-1679), an English academic and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679
Humphrey Crouch or Crowch (fl. 1635-1671), was an English ballad-writer and pamphleteer, probably belonged to the family of publishers named Crouch, who traded largely in popular literature in the sev...
John Crouch (fl. 1660-1681), was a Royalist verse-writer, "was probably brother of Humphrey Crouch the ballad-writer. There were many booksellers and publishers named Crouch in London in the seventeen...
William Crouch (1628-1710), was a member of the Society of Friends, born 5 April 1628 at Penton by Weyhill, near Andover, Hampshire, and was the son of a substantial yeoman. "His father died in Willia...

Crouch Ranking

In the United States, the name Crouch is the 1,209^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 6 However, in Australia, the name Crouch is ranked the 685^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,725 people with that name. 7

Crouch 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 Crouch surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Crouch Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Thomas Crouch, aged 30, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the "Bona Nova" 8
Richard Crouch, aged 27, who landed in Virginia in 1622-1623 9
Richard, Nicholas, and Richard, Crouch who, who settled in Virginia in 1623
Richard Crouch, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 9
Thomas Crouch, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1624 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crouch Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Crouch, who settled in Maryland in 1760

Crouch Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sarni Crouch, who landed in America in 1823 9
Levi Crouch, who arrived in New York in 1842 9

Crouch migration to Australia +

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

Crouch Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Crouch, (b. 1783), aged 17, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1852 10
Mr. John Crouch, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Thomas Brick and Crouch, a tile-maker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. James Crouch, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Mr. Henry Crouch who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crouch 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:

Crouch Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Cherry Crouch, (b. 1828), aged 22, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Crouch (post 1700) +

Sandra Elaine Crouch (1942-2024), American gospel music performer, drummer and songwriter who won a Grammy Award in 1984 for "Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female" for the 1983 album, "We Sing Praises"
Janice Wendell Bethany "Jan" Crouch (1938-2016), American religious broadcaster, co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in 1978
Paul Crouch (b. 1934), American founder of the largest Christian Television Network, Trinity Broadcasting Network
Stanley Lawrence Crouch (1945-2020), American poet, music and cultural critic, syndicated columnist, novelist, and biographer
Leonard Callender Crouch (1866-1953), American lawyer and politician
Eric Eugene Crouch (b. 1978), American NFL quarterback
Wilmer Elmer "Bill" Crouch (1907-1980), American Major League Baseball pitcher
William Henry "Bill" Crouch (1886-1945), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Dennis David Crouch (b. 1975), American patent attorney and associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Law in Columbia, Missouri
Roger Keith Crouch (b. 1940), American scientist who flew as a payload specialist on two NASA Space Shuttle missions in 1997
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Crouch family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Cecil H Crouch (b. 1909), English Regulating Petty Officer serving for the Royal Navy from Stockbridge, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 15

Citations +

Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm