Show ContentsCrum History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Crum has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a person with an abnormal curvature of the spine. The surname Crum is derived from the Old English word crump, which means bent or crooked. 1

In some cases the surname may be derived from either of the place names Croom, in Yorkshire, or Croome in Worcestershire.

Early Origins of the Crum family

The surname Crum was first found in Herefordshire, where "Thomas Crump was mayor of Hereford in 1610. The Crumps are also established in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Monmouthshire, and further reference to them will be found under one or more of those counties." 2

Looking back further, researchers found entries in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 with early spellings of the family: Richard le Crumppe, Salop (Shropshire); and Constancia Crompe, Oxfordshire. 3

"The surname is well known in the United States. Bridget Crompe emigrated to Virginia in 1635, and Thomas Crompe was already settled there in 1634." 3

Early History of the Crum family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crum research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1176, 1273, 1382, 1564, 1711 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Crum History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crum 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 Crum have been found, including Crump, Crumpe, Crompe, Crum, Crummey, Crumb, Crumbe, Crombe, Crom, Cromm, Cromp, Crumm, Crommey, Crummie, Crummy, Crommie and many more.

Early Notables of the Crum family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Henry Crump (fl. 1382), Irish theologian, an Irishman by birth. He entered the Cistercian order in the monastery of Balkynglas, that is, Baltinglass in the county Wicklow, but afterwards removed to Ox...
  • Francis Crump (1711-c.1800), was a London silversmith who produced silver hollowware

Crum Ranking

In the United States, the name Crum is the 1,103rd most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 4

Ireland Migration of the Crum family to Ireland

Some of the Crum family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Crum 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 Crum, or a variant listed above:

Crum Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Crum, who landed in America in 1750-1753 5
Crum Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Caspar Crum, who arrived in Maryland in 1847 5
  • A Crum, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
  • Dr. G.P. Crum, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1892
  • Clark Crum, aged 32, who immigrated to America, in 1893
Crum Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • C. Raymond Crum, aged 19, who landed in America, in 1903
  • E. R. Crum, aged 30, who settled in America from Kingston, in 1905
  • Andrew Crum, aged 64, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, in 1905
  • Agnes Tibb Crum, aged 27, who settled in America from London, England, in 1910
  • Fannie Crum, aged 51, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Crum (post 1700) +

  • Denzel Edwin Crum (1937-2023), American men's college basketball coach at the University of Louisville from 1971 to 2001, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994
  • William Demos Crum (1859-1912), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Carolina, 1900; U.S. Collector of Customs, 1904-10; U.S. Minister to Liberia, 1910-12 6
  • William Crum, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1908 6
  • W. E. Crum, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1908, 1912 6
  • Samuel V. Crum, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wayne County, 1905-06 6
  • Machelle Crum, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 2008 6
  • Orbison B. Crum, American Republican politician, Candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate 33rd District, 1884 6
  • James E. Crum, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1928 6
  • J. W. Crum, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1904 6
  • H. D. Crum, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1896 6
  • ... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Crum +

  • Now and Then with Kropffs and Crums by Ruth Crum Wells.

  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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