Crookshanks Surname

361,698th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 1,000 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Northern Ireland

Crookshanks Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'with the crooked shanks,' a bow-legged man. A Scotch surname; compare Sheepshanks.

'John Crookshanks (1708-95), captain in the navy': Dictionary of National Biography.

'William Cumberland Cruikshank (1745-1800), anatomist, was born in Edinburgh.

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Crookshanks Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States8261:438,81237,732
Canada771:478,51441,057
Australia341:793,99150,673
Northern Ireland291:63,6224,809
Scotland131:411,83217,291
New Zealand71:646,90340,014
England61:9,286,343223,652
Qatar61:393,00055,922
Norway11:5,142,286129,201
South Africa11:54,177,704343,732
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland471:94,2526,181
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Scotland481:77,9844,336
England341:716,92333,560
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States2071:242,60220,235

Crookshanks Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'with the crooked shanks,' a bow-legged man. A Scotch surname; compare Sheepshanks.

'John Crookshanks (1708-95), captain in the navy': Dictionary of National Biography.

'William Cumberland Cruikshank (1745-1800), anatomist, was born in Edinburgh. ibid.

'Isaac Cruikshank (1756-1811), caricaturist, was son of a lowlander, living at one time in Leith. He was father of the famous George Cruikshank'. ibid.

This evidence and the prevailing form Cruikshank clearly testify that the surname is of Scotch extraction.

1745. Married — Gavin Crookshanks and Isabella Cassie: St. George's Chapel, Mayfair.

1718. — John Bonney and Mary Crackshanks: ibid.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

With the possible exception of the first record of this name, which may point to a nickname, I do not think this surname has any connection with bowleggedness or 'crooked shanks.' The earliest spellings of the name, with the one exception noted, are always in the singular. The two counties with which the name is most intimately connected are Kincardine and Aberdeen, and in the former we have the river Cruick rising in the parish of Fearn and joining the North Esk near the Kirk of Stracathro. The word 'Cruick' is found several times in combination in Scots place names, i.e. 'Cruikitheuch' (1564), the 'cruikit aiker' (1585, Scon, p. 229), Cruikitheugh (1616), later Cruikhaugh at Inverbervie. 'Shank' is also a common element in Scots place names, either alone or in combination, i.e. Schank (in Midlothian, whence the surname Shank or Schank); Shankend, Shankfoot, etc. In toponymy 'shank' has the meaning of 'projecting point of a hill joining it to the plain.' The surname may thus quite well be of local origin the shank on the Cruick or the Cruick-shank. compare the place name Pitlurg (1232 Petnalurge) from Gaelic peit na luirge, 'portion of the shank,' i.e. distinguished by a shank-like strip of land (Watson I, p. 412). compare Cruiksetter in Shetland, 1623. John Crokeshanks, burgess of Haddington, rendered homage, 1296 (Bain, II, p. 197), Christin Crukschank is mentioned in foundation charter of the chapel of Urchany, 1334 (REA., I, p. 59), Cristinus Cru sank was admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1408 (NSCM., I, p. 3), and John Cru sank was one of the burgesses of Aberdeen selected to accompany the provost to the field of Harlaw, 1411 (Fraser, p. 21). Adam Crukshank was vicar of Crovdane (Cruden), 1414 (CAB., p. 381), the mill of Tybardy was leased to David Croyssaynt in 1434 (RAA., II, 70), and in 1452 there is entry of payment to John Cruxschank in Aberdeen (SCM., V, p. 50). John Crukshanke was granted 'the seruice of the keping of the orloge for the yer' in Aberdeen, 1453 (CRA., p. 20). John Crukshank owned a rood of land in the regality of Arbroath, 1535 (RAA., II, 816), Johannes Crushank is recorded in Murthlie, 1550 (Illus., II, p. 261), and John Crewshank or Crushank was a tailor in Aberdeen, 1688 (RPC., 3. ser. XIII, p. 262,272). Amos Cruckshank laid the foundation of the famous Sittyon herd of Aberdeen cattle, c. 1840. Isaac Cruikshank (1756—1811) caricaturist, was born in Scotland, and his son, George Cruikshank (1789—1856) was born in London. Among Scots settled in Prussia the name appears in 1644 as Kriegschank. Coukschank (an error for Croukschank) 1538, Crewschank 1602, Crokeshank 1483, Crewkschankis 1602, Crookschank 1641, Crookshank 1678, Cruckshanke 1654, Crucshank 1640, Cruickshank 1586, Cruikank (sic) and Cruiksank 1600, Cruikschank 1598, Cruischank 1591, Crukeschank 1585, Crukschank 1559, Crukschanke 1463, Crukshaink 1673, Cruvkschank 1448, Crwickshanks 1688, Crwikschank and Crwkschank, 1595. In common speech the name is usually pronounced 'Crushak.'.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English) Crook - Leg(s; Bowlegged [Middle English crok, O.N. krók-r + Middle English shank(e, O.E, sc(e)anca]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Scotch. "Crooked legs"-a sobriquet.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Crooked legs.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

A name descriptive of bodily peculiarity.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Crookshanks Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Crookshanks Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Crookshanks occurs more in The United States more than any other country or territory. It may also occur as a variant:. Click here for other possible spellings of this name.

How Common Is The Last Name Crookshanks? popularity and diffusion

Crookshanks is the 361,698th most commonly used family name in the world, borne by around 1 in 7,287,546 people. Crookshanks is mostly found in The Americas, where 90 percent of Crookshanks are found; 90 percent are found in North America and 90 percent are found in Anglo-North America.

It is most frequent in The United States, where it is held by 826 people, or 1 in 438,812. In The United States Crookshanks is mostly found in: West Virginia, where 28 percent are found, Nevada, where 19 percent are found and Virginia, where 12 percent are found. Barring The United States Crookshanks exists in 9 countries. It is also common in Canada, where 8 percent are found and Australia, where 3 percent are found.

Crookshanks Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Crookshanks has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people bearing the Crookshanks last name expanded 399 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Scotland it declined 73 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in England it declined 82 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Crookshanks Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the surname is predominantly Presbyterian (57%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Crookshanks surname are 6.13% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 52.9% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount Crookshanks earn in different countries varies somewhat. In United States they earn 13.47% less than the national average, earning $37,335 USD per year and in Canada they earn 22.79% less than the national average, earning $38,362 CAD per year.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Crookshanks
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis