Contents [hide]

Crisp History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Crisp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The name Crisp was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. It comes from the Old English given name Crispin, which derives from a Latin nickname which means curly-haired. 1 Much of the popularity of the name in the early Middle Ages is a result of the popularity of St. Crispin, who was martyred at Soissons in 285 AD.

Early Origins of the Crisp family

The surname Crisp was first found in Oxfordshire where they had been granted the lands of Cowley by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The source Old English Bynames lists the name in the Latin form: Benedictus Crispus c.1030 as the first record of the family. Almost two hundred years later, Walter Crips was listed in the source Early London Personal Names as living there c. 1200. 2 Later the family became well established in Norfolk, where they are to this day well known.

In Norfolk, the family goes back at least as far as the 14th century. "In 1388, Richard Crispe was patron of the living of Cockthorp, to which he presented one of the family; another Richard Crispe was buried in Erenze church in 1517." 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Robert le Crespe in Oxfordshire; Thomas le Crespe in Somerset; and Gilbert le Crispe in Oxfordshire. 1

Early History of the Crisp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Crisp research. Another 242 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1533, 1599, 1600, 1603, 1625, 1628, 1630, 1643, 1666, 1692, 1749 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Crisp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crisp Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Crisp family name include Crisp, Cripps, Crispin, Crispe, Crisppin, Crispp and many more.

Early Notables of the Crisp family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Nicholas Crisp (1599?-1666), English Royalist, descended from a family possessing estates in Gloucestershire and engaged in trade in London; Ellis Crisp (died 1625), Sheriff of London; Tobias Cris...
Stephen Crisp (1628-1692), was an Enalgish Quaker, born and educated at Colchester. From his earliest years he was religiously inclined, and when only ten or twelve, he says in his ‘Short History’ tha...

Crisp Ranking

In the United States, the name Crisp is the 2,214^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Crisp family to Ireland

Some of the Crisp family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Crisp migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Crisp family to immigrate North America:

Crisp Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Benjamin Crisp, who arrived at Waterdown, Massachusetts in 1630
Benjamin Crisp, who landed in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1639 5
Francis Crisp, a servant sent to Virginia in 1659
Anth Crisp, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 5
Christopher Crisp, who arrived in Virginia in 1677 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crisp Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Crisp, who arrived in Rappahannock, VA in 1727

Crisp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Downing Crisp, who settled in Galveston, TX in 1836
George Crisp, aged 35, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 5

Crisp migration to Australia +

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

Crisp Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Benjamin Crisp, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Mr. Samuel Crisp, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Samuel Crisp, (b. 1805), aged 21, British Convict who was convicted in Essex, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Emma Crisp, English convict from Warwick, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Mr. George Crisp, English convict who was convicted in Ipswich, Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crisp 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:

Crisp Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Crisp, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Simlah" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand in 1851 11
Thomas Crisp, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
Mary Crisp, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
W. S. Crisp, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
Elizabeth Crisp, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Crisp 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. 12

Crisp Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Crisp, who settled in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Crisp (post 1700) +

Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp (b. 1979), American Major League Baseball center fielder
Charles Frederick Crisp (1845-1896), American Democratic politician, Representative from Georgia (1883-1896) and Speaker of the House (1891-1895)
Quentin Crisp (1908-1999), born Denis Charles Pratt, an English writer and raconteur
George William "Donald" Crisp (1882-1974), English Academy Award winning film actor for his supporting role in How Green Was My Valley (1941)
Frank Crisp (1843-1919), English lawyer and microscopist
Clement Andrew Crisp OBE (1926-2022), British dance critic for the Financial Times from 1956 to 2020
Norman James "N.J." Crisp (1923-2005), British television writer, dramatist and novelist
Terry Crisp (b. 1943), Canadian NHL ice hockey center, member of two Stanley Cup championship teams
Thomas Crisp (1876-1917), recipient of the Victoria Cross
Ruth Crisp (d. 1960), New Zealand poet, philanthropist
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Crisp family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Albert Hector Crisp (d. 1912), aged 35, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 13

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html