The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Kram originally appeared in Gaelic as "Mac Threinfir," from the words "trean," which means "strong," and "fear" which means "man." This name is often rendered MacTraynor or MacTreanor in English, but the Anglicizations Mac Crainor and MacCreanor are actually more phonetically accurate.
The surname Kram 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, where they held a family seat from early times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kram research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1670 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Kram History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The search for the origins of the name Kram family name revealed numerous spelling variations. These variants can be somewhat accounted for when it is realized that before widespread literacy people only recognized their name by pronunciation; it was up to scribes to decide how it was to be formally recorded. Variations found include Cramer, Creamer, McCramer, McCreamer and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Kram Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The 18th century saw the slow yet steady emigration of Irish families to British North America and the United States. Those early Irish settlers that left their homeland were typically moderately well off: they were enticed by the promise of a sizable plot of land. However, by the 1840s, this pattern of immigration was gone: immigrants to North America were seeking refuge from the starvation and disease that the Great Potato Famine of that decade brought. The great numbers of Irish that arrived to the United States and the soon to be Canada were instrumental in their quick development as powerful industrial nations. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists uncovered many early immigrants bearing the name Kram: