Show ContentsCrumly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Crumly name date back to the kingdom of Dalriada in ancient Scotland. Crumly was a name for someone who lived in the place Crombie, in the parish of Aucterless in the shire of Aberdeen. The place-name Crombie was originally derived from the Gaelic term "crom," which means "crooked."

The Cromarty variant probably hails from Cromarty, a burgh of barony, sea-port, and parish, in the county of Ross and Cromarty, 175 miles from Edinburgh. "This place, of which the Gaelic name, Crom Ba, signifying the crooked bay, is derived from the winding shore of the Frith of Cromarty, appears to have attained to some importance at an early period, though few details of its ancient history are recorded. " 1

Early Origins of the Crumly family

The surname Crumly was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, on the lands of Crummy. The land belonged to the Abbey of Culross, which was built on land gifted by Malcolm, 7th Earl of Fife, in 1217, during the reign of Alexander II. 2

Early History of the Crumly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crumly research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1516, 1600, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Crumly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crumly Spelling Variations

Spelling in the medieval era was a highly imprecise process. Translation, particularly from Gaelic to English, was little better. For these reasons, early Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. In various documents Crumly has been spelled Crombie, Cromby, Crommie, Crommy, Cromy, Cromie, Crumbie, Crummie, Crumby, Croombie, Croommie and many more.

Early Notables of the Crumly family

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

Ireland Migration of the Crumly family to Ireland

Some of the Crumly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Crumly family

Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Crumly or a variant listed above: James Crombie settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1765; Leonard Crombie settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1754; William Crombie settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1868.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. 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)


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