Show ContentsCracken History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Cracken family

The surname Cracken was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire.

Criagie is a village, in the parish of Dalmeny, county of Linlithgow. "It is in the eastern part of the parish, and in its vicinity is Craigie Hall, formerly the residence and estate of the Craigies, an ancient and considerable family. One of them was a witness to the original charter granted to the first laird of Dundas in the year 1120." 1

The Barony of Craigie is a Scottish feudal Crown barony near Dundee and there are two other locals named Craigie: a hamlet in the parish of Caputh; and a village, in the East parish of the city and county of Perth. The latter is home "of the old castle of Craigie" 1

Early History of the Cracken family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cracken research. Another 228 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1317, 1367, 1387, 1400, 1427, 1429, 1430, 1640, 1688, 1742, 1747, 1754 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Cracken History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cracken Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Cracken has been spelled Craigie, Craiggie, Craggy, Cragye, Criggie, Cragyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Cracken family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir William Craigie compiler of the Oxford Dictionary, a man of many words; and Robert Craigie (1688-1760), Scottish Member of Parliament for Tain Burghs (1742 to 1747), Lord President...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cracken Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Cracken migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Cracken Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Cracken, who arrived in New York in 1811 2
  • Robert Cracken, who arrived in New Jersey in 1811 2
  • Alexander Cracken, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
  • Joseph Cracken, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2


The Cracken Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Honeste vivo
Motto Translation: I live honestly.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. 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)


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