First found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say long before the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D.

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Crabtree or a variant listed above: Edward Crabtree who was farming in Virginia in 1635; another was John Crabtree who was working as a carpenter in Boston in 1639; Benjamin Crabtree who settled in Philadelphia Pa.

For more information on the last name Crabtree, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.