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Crane Family History

Crane Surname Meaning

English: nickname most likely for a tall thin man with long legs from Middle English cran ‘crane’ (the bird) Old English cran cron. The term included the heron until the introduction of a separate word for the latter in the 14th century.

Manx: see Craine.

Dutch: variant of Krane ‘crane’.

Americanized form (translation into English) of German Krahn or Kranich.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Crane family from?

You can see how Crane families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Crane family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Crane families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 1,243 Crane families living in London. This was about 20% of all the recorded Crane's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Crane families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Crane surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Crane ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Crane. 10% of Crane men worked as a General Labourer and 68% of Crane women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Crane were Gardener and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Crane | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    10%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Gardener
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%

What Crane family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 377,000 census records available for the last name Crane. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Crane census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Crane

Passenger Lists

There are 33,000 immigration records available for the last name Crane. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Crane immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 63,000 military records available for the last name Crane. For the veterans among your Crane ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Crane military records

You've only scratched the surface of Crane family history

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What is the average Crane lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Crane life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Crane in 1941 was 39, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Crane

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Crane ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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