Surname Crawshawe - Meaning and Origin
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Crawshawe: What does the surname Crawshawe mean?
The last name Crawshawe is of English origin and is a locational name derived from the place names Crawshawbooth in Lancashire or CrawshawHall in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The place names translates as "crooked wood or stream" which suggests the origin of the last name as someone who lived by a crooked stream or wood.
The first recorded spelling of the Crawshawe name was in the 1275 Assize Rolls of Lancashire where it appears twice as Crawis, a form which suggests that the family were distinct by that time. During the 16th and 17th centuries the Crawshawe family moved out of Lancashire to settle in Yorkshire and other parts of England.
Today people with the Crawshawe name are primarily concentrated in North West England, especially Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, as well as Cumbria and Derbyshire. The Crawshawe name has come to represent a strong bond with England's rural past, one that values inwardness, humility, independence, and a strong sense of family.
Order DNA origin analysisCrawshawe: Where does the name Crawshawe come from?
The last name Crawshawe is a fairly uncommon surname today, with the majority of individuals with the last name living in the United Kingdom. According to Ancestry.com, most individuals with this last name reside in England's Greater Manchester region, followed by smaller populations in South Yorkshire, the West Midlands, and elsewhere in England. The surname seems to be largely concentrated in the industrial areas of England that were established during the country's industrial revolution.
Outside of the United Kingdom, the surname Crawshawe is relatively rare. As of the U.S. Census of 2000, only 10 households in the United States contained the surname Crawshawe. However, it remains to be seen if the surname has gained more popularity in the 17 years since that census was conducted.
Due to its rarity, the origin of the Crawshawe surname is unclear. However, given the concentration of Crawshawes in the industrial areas of the UK, the name is likely derived from an area in England that contained metal or coal production. The surname could be related to any of a number of localities in those industrial areas.
The only other source of information on the Crawshawe surname is genealogist and historian David Annal's 1842 history of the Crawshawe family. Annal claimed that the Crawshawe family originated in Germany, where additional individuals with the surname lived in the early 1800s. It is possible that this branch of the Crawshawe family spread to the United Kingdom and other areas as Europe industrialized.
Variations of the surname Crawshawe
The Crawshawe surname is thought to be of Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "carcasseuille" meaning "market seller". It is possible that one or more of the variants of Crawshawe could be from this root, meaning that the bearer was a "market seller".
The most commonly accepted variations of Crawshawe include Crawshay, Crawshey, Crawshau, and Crawahaw. In addition, variants such as Crawshoe, Crawsewell, and Crasshaw have also been recorded in the English parish registers.
The Scandinavian variant of Crawshawe is Kragsaw which is a spelling that has been found mainly in Denmark. In addition, the spelling of Crowsaw has been recorded in North America.
Many of the spelling variants of this name are the result of common mis-spellings of Crawshawe, such as Crawshaw, Crawshey, and even Crawslaw. Other variations that have been noted are Crawslaw, Brockshaw, and Cowslaws, as well as the surname Corsew.
Finally, the surname Crawshawe could also have variants in various other languages, including French (Cayer), Italian (Caveri), and German (Craffas).
In conclusion, there are many variants, spellings and surnames for this common surname, all deriving in some way from its Norman roots. It is likely that the Crawshawe surname has been subject to lots of regional changes and spellings over the years, as its various variants reflect the movements of the bearer's family.
Famous people with the name Crawshawe
- Hilary Crawshawe, British television producer and director.
- James Crawshawe, English portrait painter
- Vicki Crawshawe, singer-songwriter from England.
- Barbara Crawshawe, British painter and sculptor.
- William Reid Crawshawe, British diplomat.
- David Crawshawe, British actor.
- Frances Mary Crawshawe, English poet.
- Isabel Crawshawe, British political commentator.
- Paul Crawshawe, English composer, conductor and choral director.
- Richard Crawshawe, British paleontologist.