Show ContentsCroynyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Croynyn has undergone many variations in the time that has passed since its genesis. In Gaelic it appeared as "O Croinin," which derives from the word "cron," which meant "brown" or "dark." 1

Early Origins of the Croynyn family

The surname Croynyn was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster.

Saint Crónán (died 640) was the abbot-bishop and patron of the diocese of Roscrea. His feasy day is April 28th. Mo Chua or Crónán mac Bécáin (died 637) was the founder of Balla, which later merged into that of Tuam, Ireland. Apparently the two were not related.

Temple Cronan is a ruined medieval chapel built near a holy well in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland. It dates from the 12th century and may have been originally built to serve as a pagan temple. The building looks to have been renovated in the 15th century, but it is thought that this stone structure replaced a wooden structure that is thought to have been founded by Saint Cronan.

Early History of the Croynyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Croynyn research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Croynyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Croynyn Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were typically recorded as they sounded and in many cases, one's surname spelling changed with each record. Spelling variations revealed in the search for the origin of the Croynyn family name include Cronin, Cronyn, Cronine, Croynin, Cronan, Cronnin, Cronnan, Cronnyn, Cronen, O'Cronin, Croynan and many more.

Early Notables of the Croynyn family

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

Migration of the Croynyn family

Irish families began leaving their homeland for North America in the late 18th century. These families were usually modestly well off, but they were looking forward to owning and working on a sizable tract of land of their own. This pattern of emigration continued until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of destitute and desperate Irish people. These people were not leaving for a grant of land in North America because by this time the East Coast had reached its saturation point and free land was scarce. They were merely looking to escape the disease, starvation, and hopelessness that Ireland had fallen into. Although these unfortunate immigrants did not receive a warm welcome by the established populations in the United States and what would become Canada, they were absolutely critical to the rapid development that these two nations enjoyed. They would help populate the western lands and provide the cheap labor required for a rapid industrialization. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many early bearers of the name Croynyn or one of its variants: Johannes Cronin who settled in Philadelphia in 1738; followed by James Cronin in 1787; Charles, Cornelius, Daniel, Edward, Eugene, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, William Cronin, all settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1817 and 1868.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.


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