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Craft History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Craft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The ancestry of the name Craft dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in an area that was near the croft.The surname is the northern form of Croft and it's literal meaning is the area of arable land that was located by a cottage that was worked on by the farmer. 1 2

"It may also sometimes be from Anglo-Saxon cræfta, a craftsman, or the same as the German names Craft, Crafto, Kraft; probably from kraft, strength, force, power. Ferguson mentions an Old German Crafto as the name of a member of a noble family in the twelfth or thirteenth century." 3

Early Origins of the Craft family

The surname Craft was first found in Essex, where Aluric Craft was listed as a Knights Templar in 1185. Almost one hundred years later, Basil Craft was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1283. 4

Over in Warwickshire, Roger de Craft was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1213 and the same rolls listed de Croft (no forename) in 1214. Later, the Assize Rolls of 1222 included Robert de Craft in 1222. 4

Roger de Crafte, Bedfordshire, was listed there Henry III-Edward I: Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. 5

Early History of the Craft family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Craft research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1213, 1222, 1275, 1283, 1620, 1774, 1786, 1787, 1795, 1802, 1805, 1862 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Craft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Craft Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Craft have been found, including Craft, Crafte, Craftin, Crafton and others.

Early Notables of the Craft family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Roger de Craft, a prominent 13th century landholder in Warwickshire
William H. Craft (d. 1805?), the English enamel-painter, a prolific artist, was employed at the Battersea enamel works. He was probably a relation, perhaps a son, of Thomas Craft, who was employed at...

Craft Ranking

In the United States, the name Craft is the 906^th most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 6

Craft migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Craft, or a variant listed above:

Craft Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Bridget Craft who arrived in Virginia in 1635
Bridgett Craft, who landed in Virginia in 1636 7
Jon Craft, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 7
Robert Craft, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 7
Griffin Craft, who arrived in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1663 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Craft Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michael Craft, who arrived in South Carolina in 1745 7
Hendk Craft, aged 18, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 7
Hendk Craft, at the age of 18, who landed in Philadelphia in 1748
George Mich] Craft, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 7

Craft Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Craft, who landed in New York in 1808 7
Casper Craft, aged 23, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1808 7
Matthew Craft, who landed in America in 1818 7
George Craft, who arrived in New York in 1836 7
John Craft, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Craft migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Craft Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jacob Craft, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
William Craft, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Mr. John Craft U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1783 8

Craft migration to Australia +

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

Craft Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Craft, (Croft), (b. 1819), aged 23, English farm labourer who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1892 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Craft (post 1700) +

William F. Craft, American Republican politician, Member of Wyoming State House of Representatives from Big Horn County, 1965 10
Shirley Craft, American Republican politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 69th District, 2004, 2006 10
R. G. Craft, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1940 10
Paul Craft, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2008 10
Mrs. Lawrence Craft, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1936 10
Laurence H. Craft, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 17th District, 1936 10
Joseph E. Craft, American politician, Mayor of Weston, West Virginia, 1979-80 10
Joseph A. Craft, American politician, U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for the 5th Kentucky District, 1909 10
John D. Craft, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1912 10
Herman Craft, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Ulster County 2nd District, 1886 10
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Craft family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Thomas E Craft (b. 1899), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Canning Town, London, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 11

HMS Repulse

Mr. John Weston Craft, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 12

SS Atlantic

Mr. Neil O. Craft, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

USS Arizona

Mr. Harley Wade Craft, American Carpenter's Mate Third Class from Oregon, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 13

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . 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
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html