Show ContentsCroak History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Croak surname in England is said to descend from Nicholas Le Blount, who was outlawed and exiled after having worked to try and restore Richard II (reign 1377-1399) to the throne. It is said that he returned to England, with his name changed to Croke.

Early Origins of the Croak family

The surname Croak was first found in Shropshire. Robert Croc was a retainer of Walter, the first High Steward of Scotland, and probably accompanied his lord north from Shropshire. Robert held lands in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire during the late 12th century.

Sir Thomas Crok was the last of the direct Scottish line which failed in the 13th century. The people of Norman heritage bearing this surname have a long and interesting recorded history in which we find them in Scotland, Ireland and England. "In the reign of Charles I., the treaty for the surrender of Oxford to the parliamentarians, was negotiated here, in the mansion-house of the family of Croke." [1]

Early History of the Croak family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Croak research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1299, 1324, 1489, 1553, 1558, 1588, 1593, 1609, 1614, 1620, 1625, 1628, 1629, 1636, 1640, 1643, 1649, 1654, 1657, 1660, 1661, 1671, 1680 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Croak History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Croak Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Croke, Crough, Croak, Croc, Crok, Croake and others.

Early Notables of the Croak family

Notable among the family at this time was Richard Croke or Crocus (c.1489-1558), English classical scholar, tutor and agent of Henry VIII; Sir George Croke of Studley, eminent Judge under Charles I (reign 1625-1649); Sir John Croke (1553-1620), Speaker of the English House of Commons; Sir Henry Croke (1588-1660), an English landowner, office holder and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1629; Sir Robert Croke (c.1609-1680), an English lawyer and politician who sat...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Croak Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Croak family to Ireland

Some of the Croak family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Croak migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Croak Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Croak, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 [2]

Canada Croak migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Croak Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mary Shortell Croak, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1837

Contemporary Notables of the name Croak (post 1700) +

  • Private John Bernard Croak (1892-1918), Canadian soldier awarded the Victoria Cross for actions during WW I [3]


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. 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)
  3. The Canadian Virtual War Memorial (CVWM). (Retrieved 2010, September 27) John Croak. Retrieved from http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem/Detail&casualty=260164


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