Contents [hide]

Crane History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Crane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the name Crane lived among the Boernician tribes of the ancient Scottish-English border region. The name derives from a nickname for a person whose was tall, and had long legs. This nickname derived from the Old English words cranuc, and cornuc, which mean crane.

Early Origins of the Crane family

The surname Crane was first found in Suffolk, England, before the name made its way North to Scotland.

"In 1261 an inquest found that a man named Crane had held, by gift of King William the Lion, the lands of Inyaney and the office of gate-keeper of the royal castle, and that he never raised an army or gave assistance or did anything else in the world for the said lands, except gate-keeper of our lord the king's castle of Montrose. Cran and Crann are current in the shires of Aberdeen, Banff, and Inverness, and Patrick Crane is recorded in Aberdeen in 1398. Crane is the spelling used by an old family in the parish of Maryton." 1

Early History of the Crane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crane research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1398 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Crane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crane Spelling Variations

Since medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, and since there were no consistent rules for the translation of rules from Gaelic to English, spelling variations are extremely common in Boernician names of this vintage. Crane has been spelled Crane, Craine, Crain, Cran, Crann, Crayne and others.

Early Notables of the Crane family

Notable among the family at this time was

Francis Crane of Mortlake in Surrey

Crane World Ranking

In the United States, the name Crane is the 843^rd most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Crane is ranked the 191^st most popular surname with an estimated 216 people with that name. 3 And in Australia, the name Crane is the 627^th popular surname with an estimated 6,218 people with that name. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Crane as 709^th with 9,469 people. 5

Migration of the Crane family to Ireland

Some of the Crane family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crane migration to the United States +

Many of the Boernician-Scottish families who crossed the Atlantic settled along the eastern seaboard in communities that would become the backbone of the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. In the War of Independence, American families that remained loyal to the Crown moved north into Canada and became known as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestral culture of all of these proud Scottish families remains alive in North America in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Crane or a variant listed above:

Crane Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. James Crane, aged 17, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 6
Jasper Crane, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635 7
Richard Crane, aged 32, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas" 7
Jasper Crane, a passenger on the "Hector," who settled in the New Haven Colony in 1637
Christian Crane, who arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1647 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crane Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Margaret Crane, who landed in Virginia in 1704 7
Josiah Crane, who landed in New York in 1752 7
Ludwick Crane, who arrived in New York in 1761 7
Matthew Crane, who landed in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1797 7
Waterman Crane, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 7

Crane Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samson J Crane, who landed in America in 1811 7
Solomon Crane, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1812 7
James Crane, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1822 7
Martin Crane, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1828 7
Moses Crane, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1828 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crane migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Crane Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Crane, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Mrs. Elisha Crane U.E. who settled in Prince Edward County, Ontario c. 1783 8
Mr. John Crane U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 8

Crane Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Dominick Crane, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1838
Mr. Denis Crane, aged 22 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "John Munn" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 9
Mr. Edward Crane who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Corea" departing 2nd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 14th August 1847 but he died on board 10
Miss. Helen Crane, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Argo" departing 4th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but she died on board 10
Mr. James Crane, aged 5 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Argo" departing 4th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but he died on board 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crane migration to Australia +

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

Crane Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Crane, (b. 1765), aged 48, English shoe maker who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for possession of forged bank notes, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1848 11
Mr. Henry Crane, British Convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. John Crane, British Convict who was convicted in Hereford, Herefordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Mr. John Crane, English convict who was convicted in Worcestershire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Mr. Samuel Crane, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for life, transported aboard the "Enchantress"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crane 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:

Crane Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Crane, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Traveller" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 22nd July 1859 16
Mary A. Crane, aged 41, a nurse, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1873 17
Michael Crane, aged 18, a farm labourer, who arrived in Bluff, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adamant" in 1875 18

Contemporary Notables of the name Crane (post 1700) +

Douglas P. "Doug" Crane (1935-2020), American animator from Bronxville, New York
Paul Crane (1944-2020), American football center for seven seasons for the New York Jets (1966-1972)
Robert Q. Crane (1926-2018), American Democratic Party politician, 53rd Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts (1964-1991), Chairperson of the Massachusetts Democratic Party in 1971 19
David Crane (b. 1957), American writer and producer
Harold Hart Crane (1899-1932), American poet, best known for his most ambitious work, The Bridge
Robert Kellogg Crane (1919-2010), American biochemist, best known for his discovery of sodium-glucose cotransport, recipient of the Dr. Harold Lamport Award, New York Academy of Sciences, 1977
Brigadier-General William Carey Crane (1891-1978), American Commanding General Artillery IV Corps (1944-1945) 20
Major-General John Alden Crane (1885-1951), American Chief of American Section, Allied Control Commission in Bulgaria (1944-1946) 21
Robert Edward "Bob" Crane (1928-1978), American disc jockey and two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominated actor, best known for his performance as Col. Hogan in the television sitcom "Hogan's Heroes"
Commodore William M Crane (1776-1846), American Naval officer, eponym of the USS Crane (DD-109), a Wickes-class destroyer
... (Another 115 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Crane family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Edmond L. Crane, English Fireman aboard the SS Curaca from London, England, United Kingdom who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 22

SS Southern Cross

Mr. John Charles Crane (1893-1914), Newfoundlander from Upper Island Cove who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found
Mr. Edward Crane (b. 1914), Newfoundlander from Tilton who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found

Citations +

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/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 22)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 71)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/enchantress
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 6th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 23) William Crane. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Crane/William_Carey/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 23) John Crane. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Crane/John_Alden/USA.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance