Cromarty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The rugged west coast of Scotland and the desolate Hebrides islands are the ancestral home of the Cromarty family. Their name indicates that the original bearer lived in the place Crombie, in the parish of Aucterless in the shire of Aberdeen. The place-name Crombie was originally derived from the Gaelic term "crom," which means "crooked."

The Cromarty variant probably hails from Cromarty, a burgh of barony, sea-port, and parish, in the county of Ross and Cromarty, 175 miles from Edinburgh. "This place, of which the Gaelic name, Crom Ba, signifying the crooked bay, is derived from the winding shore of the Frith of Cromarty, appears to have attained to some importance at an early period, though few details of its ancient history are recorded. " 1

Early Origins of the Cromarty family

The surname Cromarty was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, on the lands of Crummy. The land belonged to the Abbey of Culross, which was built on land gifted by Malcolm, 7th Earl of Fife, in 1217, during the reign of Alexander II. 2

Early History of the Cromarty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cromarty research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1516, 1600, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cromarty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cromarty Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were not standardized practices until the last few centuries. Spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Cromarty has been spelled Crombie, Cromby, Crommie, Crommy, Cromy, Cromie, Crumbie, Crummie, Crumby, Croombie, Croommie and many more.

Early Notables of the Cromarty family

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

Migration of the Cromarty family to Ireland

Some of the Cromarty family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cromarty 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:

Cromarty Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Cromarty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
Margaret Cromarty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
Isobella Cromarty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
D. Cromarty, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1859
D. Cromarty, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "William Watson" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th February 1859 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cromarty (post 1700) +

George Cromarty (1941-1992), American folk guitarist and singer, best known as the co-writer, of the song Plastic Jesus
Arthur Martin Cromarty (1919-2014), American jurist from Brooklyn, New York City, Member of the New York Supreme Court (1966-1993)
Magnus Cromarty (1875-1925), Australian politician, Member of Parliament of New South Wales for Newcastle (1922-1925)
Russell Cromarty (b. 1947), former Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy (1966-1967)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html