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Cramer History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Sources

Cramer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Ireland

Etymology of Cramer

What does the name Cramer mean?

The Irish surnames in use today are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Cramer 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.

Early Origins of the Cramer family

The surname Cramer 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.

Early History of the Cramer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cramer research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1670, 1800 and 1910 are included under the topic Early Cramer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cramer Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name Cramer revealed many variations, including Cramer, Creamer, McCramer, McCreamer and others.

Early Notables of the Cramer family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

John Cramer of Cork

Cramer Ranking

In the United States, the name Cramer is the 1,158^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1 However, in Netherlands, the name Cramer is ranked the 905^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,239 people with that name. 2

Cramer migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish families fled an Ireland that was forcibly held through by England through its imperialistic policies. A large portion of these families crossed the Atlantic to the shores of North America. The fate of these families depended on when they immigrated and the political allegiances they showed after they arrived. Settlers that arrived before the American War of Independence may have moved north to Canada at the war's conclusion as United Empire Loyalists. Such Loyalists were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Those that fought for the revolution occasionally gained the land that the fleeing Loyalist vacated. After this period, free land and an agrarian lifestyle were not so easy to come by in the East. So when seemingly innumerable Irish immigrants arrived during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s, free land for all was out of the question. These settlers were instead put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Whenever they came, Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Cramer or a variant listed above, including:

Cramer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Cramer, who landed in Virginia in 1658 3

Cramer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michael Cramer, who landed in New York in 1715 3
Hans Jerig Cramer, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1727 3
Johann Georg Cramer, who arrived in Frederick County, Maryland in 1730 3
Andreas Cramer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 3
Andris Cramer, aged 20, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cramer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Adam Cramer, who landed in New York in 1831 3
Patrick Cramer, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 3
Sophie Cramer, who arrived in America in 1843 3
Mr. Gottfried Cramer, aged 34, who arrived in New Orleans in 1845 aboard the ship "Agnes"
Mrs. Elisabeth Cramer, aged 26, who arrived in New Orleans in 1845 aboard the ship "Agnes"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cramer migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cramer Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Peter Cramer, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Mr. Peter Cramer U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 4

Cramer Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henry Cramer, who landed in Canada in 1800

Contemporary Notables of the name Cramer (post 1700) +

Dorothy Cramer, American baseball player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Peggy Corrine Cramer (1937-2016), American catcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Douglas Schoolfield Cramer (1931-2021), American Emmy Award nominated television producer, known for producing series such as Star Trek, Wonder Woman, Mission: Impossible, The Brady Bunch, and Dynasty
Grant Cramer (b. 1961), American actor and producer
Roger Maxwell "Doc" Cramer (1905-1990), American Major League Baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played from 1928 to 1948
Casey Ross Cramer (b. 1982), former American football fullback
Floyd Cramer (1933-1997), American pianist known for his "slip note" piano style, inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Richard Ben Cramer (1950-2013), American journalist and writer, Pulitzer Prize winner (1979)
Major-General Myron Cady Cramer (1881-1966), American Judge Advocate General US Army (1941-1945) 5
Major-General Kenneth Frank Cramer (1894-1954), American Chief of the National Guard Bureau (1947-1950) 6
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Cramer Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non dormit qui custodet
Motto Translation: The sentinel sleeps not.

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 23) Myron Cramer. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Cramer/Myron_Cady/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 23) Kenneth Cramer. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Cramer/Kenneth_Frank/USA.html