Show ContentsNorcross History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Norcross surname is a habitational name taken on from a place near Blackpool; so named from Old English words "norð," meaning "north," and "cros," meaning "cross," collectively meaning "dweller at the North Cross." 1 2 Another author clarifies: "more specifically, Norcross (spelling the same in the early 16th cent.) [was] near Fleetwood, Lancashire." 3

Early Origins of the Norcross family

The surname Norcross was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held a family seat at Alston and Hothersale in that shire.

Early History of the Norcross family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Norcross research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Norcross History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Norcross Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Norcross, Norcress, Northcross, Norecross and others.

Early Notables of the Norcross family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • the Norcross family of Lancashire

Norcross Ranking

In the United States, the name Norcross is the 10,586th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4


United States Norcross migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Norcross Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jeremiah Norcross, who settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1642
  • Jeremiah Norcross, who arrived in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1642 5
  • John Norcross, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1642 5
  • Nathaniel Norcross, who arrived in New England in 1643 5
  • Richard Norcross, who landed in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1650 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Norcross Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Benj Norcross, who settled in Philadelphia in 1822
  • D. L. Norcross, who arrived in San Francisco in 1850
  • D L Norcross, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
  • D C Norcross, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
  • T W Norcross, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5

Canada Norcross migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Norcross Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Samuel Norcross, who settled in Nova Scotia in 1759

Contemporary Notables of the name Norcross (post 1700) +

  • Eleanor Norcross (1854-1923), American female artist in the 19th century
  • David A. Norcross (b. 1937), American Republican Party politician
  • Donald Norcross (b. 1958), American labor leader and Democratic Party politician
  • Otis C. Norcross (1811-1882), American who served as the nineteenth Mayor of Boston
  • Fred Stevenson "Norky" Norcross (1884-1965), American college football player and coach
  • Frank Norcross (1857-1926), American actor
  • Amasa Norcross (1824-1898), American lawyer and politician, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts
  • Jonathan Norcross (1808-1898), American industrialist and politician, the fourth mayor of Atlanta
  • Arthur D. Norcross, American Republican politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives First Hampden District, 1905 6
  • Amasa Norcross (1824-1898), American Republican politician, Mayor of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, 1873-74; Member of Massachusetts State Senate, 1874; U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 10th District, 1877-83 6
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  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 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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