Contents [hide]

Crowley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Crowley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Crowley is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in Crawley in the counties of Northumberland, Sussex and Bedfordshire. These place names derive from the Old English word "cra-we," meaning "crow," and "le-ah," meaning a " clearing in the woods." 1

We shall attempt to now discuss their significance to the family. The Northumberland township "was anciently called Crawlawe, from Caer-law, a fortified hill. Crawley Tower, a Roman structure, stands on an eminence near an old and strong intrenchment, which is thought to be the Alauna Amnis of Richard of Cirencester, though some place this station at Alnwick, and others at Glanton. " 2

The East Sussex parish so named, is in the union of East Grinstead, hundred of Buttinghill, rape of Lewes. "Crawley is a post-town, consisting of one wide street, in which stands a remarkably fine old elm-tree of immense girth: the houses on the west side of the village are in the parish of Ifield." 2

Early Origins of the Crowley family

The surname Crowley was first found in various counties throughout ancient Britain. So as to proves that point, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Alan de Craule, Oxfordshire; Hugh de Craule, Bedfordshire and Margaret de Craule, Oxfordshire. 3

Early History of the Crowley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crowley research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1518, 1584, 1588, 1598, 1623, 1626, 1632 and 1649 are included under the topic Early Crowley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crowley Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Crowley were recorded, including Crawley, Crawly, Craley, Crally and others.

Early Notables of the Crowley family

Notables of the family at this time include

Robert Crole, Croleus, Crowley (1518?-1588), English author, printer, and divine, born in Gloucestershire. 4

Crowley Ranking

In the United States, the name Crowley is the 1,057^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 5 However, in Australia, the name Crowley is ranked the 893^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,392 people with that name. 6

Crowley migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Crowley family emigrate to North America:

Crowley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patk Crowley, aged 39, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 7
Daniel Crowley, who landed in America in 1831 7
Walter Crowley, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 7
Timothy Crowley, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 7
Alice, Bridget, Catharine, Cornelius, Dan, Eliza, Harry, James, Johanna, Judith, Mary, Michael, Pat, Timothy, and William Crowley, all, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1849
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crowley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Crowley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Crowley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
John Crowley, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
Charles Crowley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Cornelius Crowley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Crowley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Crowley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1831
James Crowley, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque "Independence" from Kinsale, Ireland
Cornelius Crowley, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
Catherine Crowley, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
Ellen Crowley, aged 29, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crowley migration to Australia +

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

Crowley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Honora Crowley, (b. 1795), aged 23, Irish servant who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for house robbery, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1824 8
Mr. Thomas Crowley, British Convict who was convicted in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. John Crowley, (b. 1778), aged 42, Irish plasterer who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Crowley, (b. 1803), aged 19, Irish reaper who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Nicholas Crowley, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crowley 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:

Crowley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Frederick Crowley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861
Sarah E. Crowley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861
Kate Crowley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861
Jonathan Crowley, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861
Miss Mary Crowley, (b. 1863), aged 7 months, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crowley 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. 13

Crowley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Alice Crowley, who settled in Jamaica in 1661

Contemporary Notables of the name Crowley (post 1700) +

Edward Martino Crowley (1935-2020), American playwright, best known for his play The Boys in the Band
Joseph Neil Crowley (1933-2017), American academic, 13th President of University of Nevada, Reno from 1978 to 2001
Kathleen Crowley (1929-2017), born Betty Jane Crowley, an American actress who starred in a number of TV shows and films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, ending her career in 1970
Thomas M. Crowley (1935-2013), American businessman and legislator, Vermont State Senator (1966-1990)
Candy Alt Crowley (b. 1948), American news anchor, CNN's Chief Political Correspondent
William Michael "Bill" Crowley (1857-1891), American Major League Baseball player
Mart Crowley (b. 1935), American playwright and screenwriter
Clem Crowley, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Colorado State House of Representatives, 1950 14
Charles W. Crowley, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Orleans County, 1944 14
Charles Crowley, American politician, Mayor of Taunton, Massachusetts, 2011 14
... (Another 76 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Crowley family +

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Estella Marie Crowley (1894-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 15

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. James Crowley, British Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 16

SS Atlantic

Mr. James Crowley, (Griffin), Irish traveler aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

USS Arizona

Mr. Thomas Ewing Crowley, American Lieutenant Commander Dental Corps from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 17

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
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 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html