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Show ContentsCrook History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The roots of the Crook name go back to the ancient Vikings and their Old Norse language. Crook was a name for a crooked person. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. This nickname was originally derived from the Old Norman word crok which meant "hook" or "something crooked." While this origin can be expected, more accurately, the name was for someone "who came from Crook (hill, or bend of a river), the name of several places in England and Scotland." 1

Early Origins of the Crook family

The surname Crook was first found in Westmorland at Crook, a chapelry, in the parish, union, and ward of Kendal 2 of at Crook, a hamlet in the parish of Shevington, Lancashire. We find the earliest record of the family at the latter location. Specifically, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 list William del Crok there at that time. 3

Kirby's Quest lists Kohn de Cruk in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first years of King Edward III's reign.) 4

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Johannes de Crake; Thomas de Crokes; and Johanna de Crekes. 3

Moving further north into Scotland, two of the first entries were Malcolm Crok and Robert Cruk of Fingaldestone, Lanarkshire, who both rendered homage to King Edward I in his conquest of Scotland. A few years later, a benefice was reserved to Adam Croke of the diocese of St. Andrew in 1329 and John Cruke was a tenant in Garvalde under the Douglas in 1376. 5

Early History of the Crook family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crook research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1562, 1574, 1575, 1576, 1582, 1591, 1617, 1635, 1641, 1649, 1674, 1699 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Crook History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crook Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Crook has been spelled Crook, Crooke, Crooks, Cruik, Cruiks, Crok, Cruke, Crukes, Cruikes and many more.

Early Notables of the Crook family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

  • Andrew Crooke (died 1674) and William Cooke (died 1641) who were London publisher partners who published significant texts of English Renaissance drama, most notably of the plays of James Shirley
  • Thomas Crooke (fl. 1582), was an English divine, matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge, in May 1560, where he was elected scholar 1562, and afterwards fellow, proceeded B.A. 1562. 6
  • Samuel Crooke (1575-1649), was an English divine, son of Thomas Crooke, and was born at Great Waldingfield, Suffolk, on 17 Jan. 1574. 6
  • Dr. Helkiah Crooke (1576-1635), was an English physician, a native of Suffolk, and obtained a scholarship on Sir Henry Billingsley's foundation at St. John's College, Cambridge, 11 Nov. 1591. 6
  • John Crook (1617-1699), was an English Quaker, born in 1617 in the north of England, probably in Lancashire, of parents of considerable wealth. 6

Crook World Ranking

In the United States, the name Crook is the 2,069th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 7 However, in Australia, the name Crook is ranked the 945th most popular surname with an estimated 4,187 people with that name. 8 And in the United Kingdom, the name Crook is the 613rd popular surname with an estimated 10,721 people with that name. 9

Ireland Migration of the Crook family to Ireland

Some of the Crook family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Crook migration to the United States +

Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Crook:

Crook Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Philip Crook, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683 10
Crook Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Crook, who arrived in New England in 1719 10
  • Andreas Crook, aged 45, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1739 10
  • John Crook, who settled in Maryland in 1775
Crook Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mary Crook, who landed in New York in 1804 10
  • Henry Crook, aged 42, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 10
  • Daniel Crook, aged 24, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 10
  • Robert Crook, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 10
  • Christopher Crook, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Crook migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Crook Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Crook, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • John Crook, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
  • Sarah Crook, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
  • Thomas Crook, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
  • Anna Crook, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Crook Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Anne Crook, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1830
Crook Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • H Crook, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Australia Crook migration to Australia +

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

Crook Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Daniel Crook, English convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • James Crook, a shoemaker, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Mr. Charles Crook, (b. 1809), aged 17, English convict who was convicted in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1883 12
  • Mr. Robert Crook, British Convict who was convicted in Gloucester, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 13
  • Henry Crook, who arrived in Port Misery aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland" in 1839 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Crook 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:

Crook Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • T. G. Crook, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Harkaway" in 1858 15
  • Miss Esther Crook, (b. 1832), aged 31, British cook, from Middlesex travelling from London aboard the ship "Metropolis" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th June 1863 16
  • George Crook, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1873
  • Alice Crook, aged 24, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1873
  • William James Crook, aged 2, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1873
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Crook (post 1700) +

  • Maxfield Doyle Crook (1936-2020), American musician, a pioneer of electronic music in pop
  • Lorianne Crook (b. 1957), American radio and television host, producer and writer
  • Howard Crook (b. 1947), American lyric tenor
  • Edward "Eddie" Crook Jr. (1929-2005), American Olympic gold medalist boxer, teammate of Muhammad Ali
  • Catherine Crook de Camp (1907-2000), American science fiction and fantasy author
  • Isabel Crook (1915-2023), née Brown, a British-Canadian anthropologist, political prisoner and professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University
  • Mr. John Crook, English coal mine manager working in Agecroft coal mine in Manchester on 18th June 1885, he was awarded the Albert Medal for lifesaving
  • Mr. Paul John Crook O.B.E., British Wing Commander for the Royal Air Force, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 17
  • Walter Crook (1912-1988), English footballer and manager
  • Steven Paul Crook (b. 1983), Australian cricketer
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  5. 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)
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  9. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  10. 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)
  11. Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
  14. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) THE DUCHESS OF NORTHUMBERLAND - 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839DuchessOfNorthumberland.htm
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  17. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
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