Show ContentsCrary History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

There are many Irish surnames being used today in forms that are quite different than their original, ancient forms. Crary originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Ruaidhri, which means son of Rory. [1]

Early Origins of the Crary family

The surname Crary was first found in County Tyrone (Irish:Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Crary family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crary research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1298 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Crary History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crary Spelling Variations

Before widespread literacy came to Ireland, a name was often recorded under several different variations during the life of its bearer. Accordingly, numerous spelling variations were revealed in the search for the origin of the name Crary family name. Variations found include MacCreary, MacCreery, MacCrary, MacCrory and others.

Early Notables of the Crary family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crary Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crary Ranking

In the United States, the name Crary is the 13,090th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]


United States Crary migration to the United States +

Thousands of Irish families left for North American shores in the 19th century. These people were searching for a life unencumbered with poverty, hunger, and racial discrimination. Many arrived to eventually find such conditions, but many others simply did not arrive: victims of the diseased, overcrowded ships in which they traveled to the New World. Those who lived to see North American shores were instrumental in the development of the growing nations of Canada and the United States. A thorough examination of passenger and immigration lists has disclosed evidence of many early immigrants of the name Crary:

Crary Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Crary, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Crary (post 1700) +

  • Albert Paddock Crary (1911-1987), American geophysicist and glaciologist
  • John Crary, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Washington County, 1824; Member of New York State Senate 4th District, 1825-28 [4]
  • Isaac Edwin Crary (1804-1854), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Michigan at-large, 1837-41; Member of University of Michigan Board of Regents, 1837-43; Village President of Marshall, Michigan, 1854 [4]
  • Henry Crary, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Chenango County, 1835 [4]
  • Frank E. Crary, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Preston, 1932 [4]
  • Evans Crary, American politician, Member of Florida State Senate 12th District, 1947 [4]
  • Elisha Crary, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Preston, 1826, 1838 [4]
  • DeLand Crary, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Michigan State Board of Agriculture, 1949; Member of Michigan Prohibition Party State Central Committee, 1951 [4]
  • Charles E. Crary, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 21st District, 1873 [4]
  • Archibald Crary, American politician, Speaker of the Rhode Island State House of Representatives, 1797 [4]
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook