Contents [hide]

Cranston History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Cranston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Scotland with its rugged terrain and rich ancestry was the beginning of the ancient family tree of the Cranston family. In Scotland, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Cranston family lived in "the lands or barony of the name in Midlothian, the 'tun of Cran or Cren.' Certain individuals of this name are mentioned in early charters but it is not now possible to establish their connection with one another. ' " 1

Early Origins of the Cranston family

The surname Cranston was first found in Edinburghshire, a former county, now part of the Midlothian council area where Eric de Cranston witnessed a charter by William the Lion in the 12th century. An Andrew de Cragestone of Edinburghshire rendered homage to King Edward of England during his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. It is thought that this name was actually Cranestone, as his seal bore the 'Cranstoun' crane. "Another Andrew de Cranstoun, dominus de eodem, apparently the first so styled, was dead before 1338. Thomas de Cranstoun, provost of Edinburgh, 1423. 1

Cranston a parish, in the county of Edinburgh. "The name of this place is said to be derived from an Anglo-Saxon word, signifying 'the crane's district,' and applied on account of the number of cranes that formerly resorted to the place. In the 12th century, the parish was divided into two manors called Upper and Nether Cranston, in the latter of which the church was situated. Early in the reign of William, Upper Cranston was possessed by Elfric de Cranestun, who derived his surname from the manor, and whose descendants retained the property till the time of Charles II., when William, the third lord Cranstoun, sold it to Sir John Fletcher, the king's advocate. Nether Cranston, which was the larger of the two manors, was granted by Earl Henry to Hugh Ridel, from whom it obtained the name of Cranston-Ridel, which it retained till recent times. " 2

Early History of the Cranston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cranston research. Another 191 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1338, 1423, 1509, 1526, 1603, 1620, 1625, 1627, 1648, 1659, 1664, 1678, 1680, 1689, 1727 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cranston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cranston Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Cranston, Cranstoun, Cranstown and others.

Early Notables of the Cranston family

Notable among the family at this time was

John Cranston (1625-1680) Scottish-born, American colonial physician, military leader, legislator, Deputy Governor and 9th Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (1678-1680)

Cranston Ranking

In the United States, the name Cranston is the 11,724^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Cranston family to Ireland

Some of the Cranston family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cranston migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cranston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Cranston, who arrived in America in 1680 4
Samuel Cranston, who arrived in Rhode Island in 1698 4

Cranston Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Cranston, who settled in Maryland in 1775

Cranston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Cranston, who settled in Philadelphia in 1839
William Cranston, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 4
James Cranston, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 4
Mary Cranston, aged 7, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 4
Million Cranston, aged 2, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cranston migration to Australia +

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

Cranston Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Cranston, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
William Cranston, English convict from Northumberland, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Miss Mary Ann Cranston, (b. 1830), aged 16, Irish house maid born in County Mayo who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 14th September 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1909 7
James Cranston, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Candahar" in 1851 8
Mr. Jonas Cranston, (b. 1823), aged 29, English blacksmith who was convicted in Durham, England for 10 years for burglary, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island), he died in 1875 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cranston 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:

Cranston Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. J. Cranston, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 10
Mrs. Cranston, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 10
Mrs. Jane Cranston, (b. 1828), aged 33, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 11
Mr. John Cranston, (b. 1830), aged 31, British shepherd travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 11
Mr. Frederick Cranston, (b. 1858), aged 3, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cranston (post 1700) +

Brigadier-General Joseph Alfred Cranston (1898-1973), American Assistant Commanding General 2nd Division (1946-1947) 12
Bryan Cranston (b. 1956), American Emmy Award winning actor, voice actor, writer and director
Alan Cranston (1914-2000), American journalist and Democratic Senator from California
Thomas Cranston, American politician, Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Deputies, 1748-49, 1750-57, 1760-62 13
Royal Cranston, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 21st District, 1893-94 13
Robert Bennie Cranston (1791-1873), American Republican politician, Speaker of the Rhode Island State House of Representatives, 1846-47; Mayor of Newport, Rhode Island, 1853; Presidential Elector for Rhode Island, 1864 13
R. F. Cranston, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 43rd District, 1911-12 13
John Cranston, American politician, Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Deputies, 1716 13
Henry Young Cranston (1789-1864), American politician, Speaker of the Rhode Island State House of Representatives, 1835, 1839-41, 1854, 1855; U.S. Representative from Rhode Island 1st District, 1843-47 13
Earl M. Cranston, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Colorado, 1901-08 13
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cranston family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Aylmer N J Cranston (b. 1920), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Ewshott, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 14

RMS Lusitania

Mr. George Cranston, English Night Watchman from Bootle, Lancashire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 15

Citations +

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Agincourt voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 226 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agincourt/1844
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CANDAHAR 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Candahar.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 23) Joseph Cranston. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Cranston/Joseph_Alfred/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.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
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/