Show ContentsCreen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish name Creen has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Creen is Ó Croidheagain, from the word "croidhe," which means "heart." 1

Early Origins of the Creen family

The surname Creen was first found in Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Creen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Creen research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1616 is included under the topic Early Creen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creen Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Creen were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Cregan, Crean, O'Crean, O'Cryan, Creaghan, Creegan, Creahan, Crehan, Creane and many more.

Early Notables of the Creen family

More information is included under the topic Early Creen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Creen migration to the United States +

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Creen family relocated to North American shores quite early:

Creen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Creen, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2

Canada Creen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Creen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Andrew Creen, aged 30 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bridgetown" departing 3rd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 29th August 1847 but he died on board 3
  • Miss. Bridget Creen who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Thompson" departing 5th May 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 14th June 1847 but she died on board 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Creen (post 1700) +

  • Cecil Lee Creen (1897-1934), American college football quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama, All-Southern (1916)
  • George J. Creen (1906-1973), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Saginaw County 1st District; Elected 1932 4


The Creen Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cor mundum crea in me, Deus
Motto Translation: Create in me a clean heart, O God.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  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. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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