Show ContentsCreton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The rich saga of the Creton family begins in ancient Scotland among the clans of the Boernician tribe. They 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 Creton family

The surname Creton 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 Creton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Creton 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 Creton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creton Spelling Variations

In the many years before the invention of the printing press and the first dictionaries, names and other words were spelled according to sound, often differently with each person who wrote them. Spelling variations of Creton include Crichton, Creighton, Creaton, Craighton, Creton, Creeton, Crichten, Crighton, Chreichton, Creichtone, Creychton, Creychtoun and many more.

Early Notables of the Creton 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 Creton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Creton Ranking

In France, the name Creton is the 1,720th most popular surname with an estimated 3,519 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Creton family to Ireland

Some of the Creton 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.


Creton migration to the United States +

In many cases, the ancestors of many of these Boernician-Scottish people are just now learning of their Scottish heritage. Since the trip was so arduous, and many were fleeing from poverty itself, settlers brought little with them and often had nothing of their personal history to hand down to their children. Clan societies and highland games have helped to correct this problem in the 20th century. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Cretons to arrive on North American shores:

Creton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Alex Creton, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3


  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. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  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)


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