Show ContentsCrispin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Noble surnames, such as Crispin, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Crispin, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Lorraine. In France, 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 Crispin family originally lived at the town of Paresse or Parez, in the Lorraine. Although one would at first assume that the name is derived from the city of Paris, evidence suggests that the names of both the town in the Lorraine and the French capital are derived from a Gaulish tribe called the Parisii.The name was first found in Crepey, in the department of Meurthe, in the district of Toul.

Early Origins of the Crispin family

The surname Crispin was first found in Lorraine, where the family was established in Crepey, in the department of Meurthe, in the district of Toul.

Early History of the Crispin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crispin research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1772, 1788, 1796, 1825, 1827, 1851, 1856, 1859, 1860, 1862, 1866, 1885, 1892, 1908 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Crispin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crispin Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Crepeau, Crépeau, Crepy, Crépy, Crepu, Crépu, Crepeaux, Crépeaux, Crepaux, Crépaux, Crepin, Crépin, Crepon, Crépon, Crepey, Crépey, Crepet, Crépet, Crepel and many more.

Early Notables of the Crispin family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Crispin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crispin Ranking

In the United States, the name Crispin is the 14,363rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Crispin migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Crispin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Silas Crispin, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 2
  • William Crispin, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 2

Australia Crispin migration to Australia +

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

Crispin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Elizabeth Crispin, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Rajah" 3
  • John Crispin, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1849 4
  • Elizabeth Crispin, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajah" in 1849 3
  • Lucy Louisa Crispin, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" 5
  • John Crispin, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Lord Raglan" 6

West Indies Crispin migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7
Crispin Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Crispin, aged 19, who landed in Barbados in 1635 aboard the ship "Falcon" 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Crispin (post 1700) +

  • Jonathan "Jon" Scott Crispin (b. 1981), American former college basketball player
  • Ann Carol Crispin (1950-2013), American science fiction writer
  • Joseph Steven "Joe" Crispin (b. 1979), American professional basketball player
  • Edmund Crispin (1921-1978), pseudonym of Robert Bruce Montgomery, English crime writer and composer
  • Cobi Crispin (b. 1988), Australian silver and bronze medalist wheelchair basketball player from Mackay, Queensland
  • Richard Crispin Armitage (b. 1971), English actor and author, known for his roles in The Hobbit, the TV show Spooks, and The Stranger
  • Crispin Struthers, American two-time Oscar-nominated film editor, best known for Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle
  • Sir Crispin Tickell GCMG KCVO FZS (1930-2022), British diplomat, environmentalist, and academic, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations (1987-1990), Her Majesty's Ambassador to Mexico (1981-1983)
  • Crispin Duenas (b. 1986), Canadian two-time silver medalist recurve archer
  • Crispin Conroy (b. 1963), Australian diplomat

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. John Crispin, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 8
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. William Crispin (d. 1912), aged 32, English Glory Hole Steward from Eastleigh, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 9


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)
  3. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJAH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Rajah.htm
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849DavidMalcolm.htm
  5. South Australian Register Wednesday 15th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Pestonjee Bomanjee 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/hyderabad1854.shtml
  6. South Australian Register Friday February 7th, 1856. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Lord Raglan 1856. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/lordraglan1856.shtml
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  8. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  9. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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