Contents [hide]

Crow History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Crow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Crow comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a person who bore some fancied resemblance to a crow. This may have been based on appearance, but nicknames often described more intangible strong traits or features of animals. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas were common; people attributed human qualities and form to animals, based on the creature's habits. The surname Crow is derived from the Old English word crowe, which in turn came from the Old English words crawe or crawa, which mean crow.

Early Origins of the Crow family

The surname Crow was first found in Norfolk and Suffolk where in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 we found: Ralph Crawe, Norfolk; Geoffrey Crowe, Norfolk; John Crawe, Suffolk; Walrann Crowe, Suffolk; and William Croe, Suffolk. 1

In Somerset, Hugh Crowe was listed 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 2

Again in Norfolk, William Crawe, vicar of Wigenhale, St. Peter's in 1431 and the same source notes Philip Crowe, Norfolk, 1307; and Richard Crowe was buried there in 1717. 3

Further to the north in Scotland, John Crow and Thomas Crow, were of the diocese of Dunblane, on record, 1470 and Magnus Crow, was a follower of Walter Ross of Morange, 1596 may have derived his name from Croy, Inverness-shire. 4

Early History of the Crow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crow research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1611, 1616, 1627, 1630, 1632, 1641, 1646, 1668, 1669, 1675, 1683, 1692, 1713, 1717, 1719, 1743, 1781 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Crow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crow Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Crow has undergone many spelling variations, including Crow, Crowe and others.

Early Notables of the Crow family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Sir John Crowe of Dromore; William Crowe (1616-1675) was an English clergyman and bibliographer from Suffolk; Sir Sackville Crowe, 1st Baronet, (c. 1611-1683) was an English nobleman and politician, T...
Francis Crow (d. 1692), was a Scottish nonconformist divine who came of a family seated at Hughhead in Scotland, within six miles of Berwick-upon-Tweed. He was born in Scotland, but received his educa...
William Crowe (1616-1675), was an English bibliographer, born in Suffolk in 1616 and was matriculated in the University of Cambridge as a member of Caius College on 14 Dec. 1632. 5
William Crowe (d. 1743), was an English divine, educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he proceeded B.A. in 1713, was elected to a fellowship, and commenced M.A. in 1717. 5

Crow Ranking

In the United States, the name Crow is the 1,181^st most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Crow family to Ireland

Some of the Crow family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crow migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Crow were among those contributors:

Crow Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Crow, who arrived in Virginia in 1636 7
Mary Crow, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 7
John Crow, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 7
William Crow, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 7
Win Crow, who landed in Virginia in 1663 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crow Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Carl Crow, aged 44, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1740 7
Leonard Crow, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 7
Charles Crow, who settled in Charles Town South Carolina in 1765
James Crow, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 7

Crow Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis Crow, aged 22, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 7
Jane Crow, who settled in New York in 1811
Jane Crow, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 7
Margaret Crow, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 7
William Crow who arrived in Plymouth Massachusetts soon after the Mayflower
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crow migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Crow Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jonathan Crow, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1778

Crow Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Crow, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1812
And Crow, who settled in New Brunswick in 1847
Alison Crow, who settled in Ontario in 1871

Crow migration to Australia +

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

Crow Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Crow, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. George Crow, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. George Crow, British Convict who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. William Crow, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. William Crow, British Convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crow 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:

Crow Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Crow, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston, UK aboard the ship "Brazil Packet" arriving in New Zealand in 1836 12
Mrs. Crow, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston, UK aboard the ship "Brazil Packet" arriving in Hokianga, North Island, New Zealand in 1836 12
Child Crow, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston, UK aboard the ship "Brazil Packet" arriving in Hokianga, North Island, New Zealand in 1836 12
Mrs. Crow, Australian settler travelling from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia aboard the ship "Brazil Packet" arriving in New Zealand in 1837 12
Child Crow, Australian settler travelling from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia aboard the ship "Brazil Packet" arriving in New Zealand in 1837 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Crow (post 1700) +

Samuel Alfred "Sam" Crow (1926-2022), American jurist, Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas (1996-2022)
Lindon Oscar Crow (1933-2018), American NFL football cornerback who played from 1955 to 1964
Dolores J. Crow (1931-2018), née York, American politician from Clovis, New Mexico, Member of the Idaho House of Representatives (1982-2006)
Herschal Hillear Crow Jr. (1935-2015), American politician, Member of the Oklahoma Senate (1969-1982) and Secretary of Transportation (2001-2003)
John David Crow (1935-2015), American Heisman Trophy-winning football player for Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals and coach of Northeast Louisiana, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1976
Joe Medicine Crow -High Bird (b. 1913), American historian and author, best known for his writings and lectures concerning the Battle of the Little Bighorn, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Sheryl Crow (b. 1962), American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress
Dan Crow, Emmy award-winning performer of children's songs
James C. "Jim" Crow (1789-1846), originally of Inverness, a chemist by profession, who settled in Kentucky with some of the basic distilling secrets he had learned in Scotland and produced some of the finest American bourbon
Ashley Crow (b. 1960), American actress
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Crow family +

HMS Hood

Mr. George L Crow (b. 1914), English Leading Stoker serving for the Royal Navy from Fullwell, County Durham, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 13

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.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