Show ContentsCrowson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of the Irish name Crowson was written as Mac an Chrosain, which is derived from the word cros, which means cross.

Early Origins of the Crowson family

The surname Crowson was first found in Leinster, where they held a family seat at Ballymacrossan on the border of Leix and Offaly. There they were an off-shoot of the notable Clan O'Moore which was the leading sept of the 'Seven Clans of Leix'. In Gaelic the surname is "Mac an Chrosain," but more frequently seen in the English form "Crosby" or "Crosbie" which was listed as early as the early 1600s. 1

Early History of the Crowson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crowson research. Another 257 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1619, 1621, 1638, 1639, 1658, 1689, 1695 and 1762 are included under the topic Early Crowson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crowson Spelling Variations

Names written in official documents were generally spelt as they sounded, leading to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion in records of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Crowson that are preserved in documents of the family history are Crossan, Crossen, McCrossan, McCrossen, MacCrossan, MacCrossin, MacCrossen, Crossin, MacCrosson, McCrosson, Crosson, McCrosin, McCrosen and many more.

Early Notables of the Crowson family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Patrick McCrossan, Chief of his Clann; John Crosbie, alias Sean Mac an Chrosáin (died 1621), a bishop of the Church of Ireland; and his sons: Sir Walter Crosbie, 1st Baronet, died 4 Aug 1638; David Crosbie (died 1658), died 1658; Sir John Crosbie...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crowson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crowson Ranking

In the United States, the name Crowson is the 8,071st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Crowson migration to the United States +

The English-ruled Ireland of the late 18th and 19th centuries featured a rapidly increasing population and an agricultural-based economy. This combination proved to be disastrous in the 1840s after a couple of failed potato harvests. Thousands died of disease and starvation, and thousands more left the country, often bound for North America. Those that survived the journey to North America were put to work building the bridges, canals, roadways, and railways needed for the development of an industrial society. Those Irish, although often despised by those already established in North American cities and towns, played an instrumental role in making Canada and the United States the powerful and wealthy nations that they are today. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has shown many immigrants bearing the name Crowson:

Crowson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Ellen Crowson, aged 27, who landed in New York in 1868 3
Crowson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Emma Crowson, aged 27, who settled in America from Peterborough, England, in 1911
  • George Crowson, aged 3, who immigrated to the United States from Peterborough, England, in 1911
  • Stanley Crowson, aged 1, who landed in America from Peterborough, England, in 1911
  • John William Crowson, aged 29, who landed in America from Manchester, England, in 1913
  • Louisa Crowson, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States from Manchester, England, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Crowson (post 1700) +

  • Jason P. Crowson, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Texas State House of Representatives 134th District, 1994 4
  • Thomas Woodrow Crowson (1918-1947), American Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Tom Crowson, American politician
  • Ronald Alan Crowson (b. 1949), American Geologist
  • John Lamar Crowson (1926-1998), American concert pianist and a chamber musician
  • Roy Albert Crowson (1914-1999), British biologist who specialized in the taxonomy of beetles

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Harry Crowson, British Mechanician 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 5


The Crowson 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: Indignante invidia florebit justus
Motto Translation: The just man will flourish in spite of envy.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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