Cruttenden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient roots of the Cruttenden family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Cruttenden comes from when the family lived in the village of Crotynden (Crittenden or Cruttenden) in West Kent. This lost village is thought to have derived its name from the Old English personal name Gu(dh)here + Old English "-ing" and "denn," literally meaning "person living near a woodland pasture." (Oxford)

Another source claims the name was derived from "the cot on the lower hill; from cru, a cot; tane, lower, and dun or din, a hill; or it may be the chalk hill, from krit, Saxon, chalk." 1

Early Origins of the Cruttenden family

The surname Cruttenden was first found in West Kent at Crittenden. While this is the generally accepted origin of the name one source claims the family originally "came from Criddon, formerly Critendone (Cridela's hill), in Shropshire." 2

Early History of the Cruttenden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cruttenden research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1481 is included under the topic Early Cruttenden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cruttenden Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Cruttenden has appeared include Crittenden, Cruttenden, Critenden, Crutenden and many more.

Early Notables of the Cruttenden family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Edward Holden Cruttenden

Cruttenden migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Cruttenden arrived in North America very early:

Cruttenden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Abraham Cruttenden, who arrived in Connecticut in 1630
Abraham, Cruttenden Jr., who landed in New England in 1650 3

Cruttenden migration to Australia +

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

Cruttenden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Cruttenden, English convict from Kent, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 4
Robert Cruttenden, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Samuel Boddington" in 1850 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Cruttenden (post 1700) +

Tyler Cruttenden, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Norwich, 1907-08 6
J. D. Cruttenden, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 21st District, 1857-58; Member of Minnesota State Senate 21st District, 1859-60 6
Edwin T. Cruttenden, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Watertown, 1910 6

Historic Events for the Cruttenden family +

HMS Hood

Mr. John E Cruttenden (b. 1903), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Sandiacre, Derbyshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 7

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SAMUEL BODDINGTON 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850SamuelBoddington.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.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