Show ContentsCreighton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient roots of the Creighton family are found in the Scottish-English border region where the ancestors of the name Creighton lived among the people of the Boernician tribe. The Creighton family lived near a border. This surname came from the Gaelic word crioch and the Old English word tune, which mean border and farm or settlement, respectively. Thus, the surname indicates that the original bearer lived near a border. The name may also have derived from a place name, such as Crichton, near Edinburgh, or the territories of Kreiton in Lothian.

Early Origins of the Creighton family

The surname Creighton was first found in Midlothian, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. The first on record was Turstan Crectune, who was granted lands by King David of Scotland in 1128. Alexander and Thomas Creighton both having territories in Berwickshire rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland, in 1296. 1

Early History of the Creighton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Creighton research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1514, 1543, 1560, 1582, 1585, 1593, 1598, 1612, 1613, 1639, 1662, 1670, 1672, 1674, 1691, 1734, 1797, 1890 and 1902 are included under the topic Early Creighton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creighton Spelling Variations

Since medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, and since there were no consistent rules for the translation of rules from Gaelic to English, spelling variations are extremely common in Boernician names of this vintage. Creighton has been spelled Crichton, Creighton, Creaton, Craighton, Creton, Creeton, Crichten, Crighton, Chreichton, Creichtone, Creychton, Creychtoun and many more.

Early Notables of the Creighton family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Lord Crichton, Viscount Frendraught; William Crichton, 1st Lord Crichton of Sanquhar (died 1450s) ; Robert Crichton (died 1585), Catholic cleric, nephew of George Crichton, (d. 1543), Bishop of Dunkeld; and Robert Crichton, 6th Lord Sanquhar (died 1612); William Crichton (1598-1691), 2nd Earl of Dumfries; and James Crichton of Clunie (1560-1582), better known as the Admirable...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Creighton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creighton Ranking

In the United States, the name Creighton is the 3,548th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Creighton family to Ireland

Some of the Creighton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Creighton migration to the United States +

Many of the Boernician-Scottish families who crossed the Atlantic settled along the eastern seaboard in communities that would become the backbone of the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. In the War of Independence, American families that remained loyal to the Crown moved north into Canada and became known as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestral culture of all of these proud Scottish families remains alive in North America in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Creighton or a variant listed above:

Creighton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Rebecca Creighton, who arrived in New York, NY in 1739 3
  • Thomas, Creighton Jr., who landed in South Carolina in 1772 3
  • Thomas Creighton, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 3
  • Daniel Creighton, who arrived in New York in 1783 3
  • Edward Creighton, who landed in New York in 1798 3
Creighton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Creighton, who landed in Ohio in 1805 3
  • Robert Creighton, aged 30, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 3
  • Abraham Creighton, aged 19, who landed in Maine in 1812 3
  • Fletcher Creighton, who landed in America in 1812 3
  • James Creighton, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Creighton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Creighton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Creighton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Creighton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Miss. Sarah Jane Creighton, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Marchioness of Abercorn" departing 15th June 1847 from Londonderry, Ireland; the ship arrived on 5th August 1847 but she died on board 4
Creighton Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • William Creighton, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Australia Creighton migration to Australia +

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

Creighton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr.John Wilford Creighton, Wilford), Irish carpenter who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Bencoolen" on 24th April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1829 5

New Zealand Creighton 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:

Creighton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • F Creighton, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1838
  • Miss Kate Creighton, (b. 1845), aged 23, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Gainsborough" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1868 6
  • Alice Creighton, aged 20, a parlour maid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ionic" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Creighton (post 1700) +

  • Mary Lucretia Creighton (1834-1876), born Mary Lucretia Wareham, American philanthropist who left a bequest of 200,000 in her will to found Creighton University
  • James Edwin Creighton (1861-1924), Canadian-born, American philosopher
  • William Creighton Jr. (1778-1851), American attorney, banker and politician, 1st Secretary of State for Ohio (1803-1808); he designed of the Great Seal of Ohio
  • John A. Creighton (1831-1907), American businessman and philanthropist in Omaha, Nebraska
  • Jim Creighton Jr. (1841-1862), American baseball player
  • Edward Creighton (1820-1874), American businessman, founder of Creighton University
  • Chris Creighton (b. 1969), American college football coach
  • John Oliver Creighton (b. 1943), former NASA Astronaut who flew three space shuttle missions and logged over 16 days in space 7
  • John Neville Creighton (1937-2022), New Zealand rugby union player who represented Canterbury at a provincial level in over 100 games, member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks in 1962
  • Mr. Alan Michael Creighton M.B.E., British Senior Smart Grid Development Engineer for Northern Powergrid, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to the Energy Industry 8
  • ... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Empress of Ireland
  • Mrs. Bertha Jane Creighton (1869-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 9
  • Major David Law Creighton (1864-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 9
Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. Isaac  Creighton (1829-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
  • Mrs. Annie Jane  Creighton (1843-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
  • Mr. James William  Creighton (1869-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
  • Mrs. Belle J.  Creighton (1884-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10
  • Mrs. Annie K.  Creighton (1885-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10


  1. 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)
  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. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 71)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bencoolen
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) John Creighton. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/creighton-jo.html
  8. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  9. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  10. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance


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